The San Francisco 49ers moved down one spot in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft and still selected the player that they likely planned to take all along. The Chicago Bears, who were originally selecting at number three, swapped first round picks with the 49ers and threw in a 2017 third round pick (67), a 2017 fourth round pick (111), and a 2018 third round pick. Chicago went on to select North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the second selection in the draft.
As for the 49ers, they ended up selecting the player who the vast majority of mock drafts had them going with – Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas.
On Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the 49ers were seriously considering taking a quarterback with their top selection. More specifically, Rapoport identified Trubisky as the target. If that was a smokescreen, it worked and the Bears bit.
Thomas is the third defensive lineman who the team has selected with its top pick in the past three years. In 2016, the 49ers selected DeForest Buckner out of Oregon with the seventh overall selection. The year before, they selected Arik Armstead – also out of Oregon – with the 17th overall selection.
Thomas saw his stock rise in 2016 when he had 61 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and was First-Team All PAC-12. That stock rose further following the Sun Bowl against North Carolina and his showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran a 4.69-second 40-yard dash. While the bulk of his playing time at Stanford was in the interior, his ability to play on the edge, where he would be most valuable to the 49ers, is unknown.
During the 2016 season, Trubisky's only year as a starter, he completed 68.2-percent of his passes for 3,748 yards, 30 touchdowns, and six interceptions for the Tar Heels.
It is still very likely that the 49ers will select a quarterback later in the draft. They now have a lot of ammo to do so.
Chicago Bears Get
49ers 2017 1st round pick (2)
San Francisco 49ers Get
Bears 2017 1st round pick (3)
Bears 2017 3rd round pick (67)
Bears 2017 4th round pick (111)
Bears 2018 3rd round pick