San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Solomon Thomas sat down with the hosts of "Good Morning Football" on Friday morning and shared how excited he is for the upcoming season. A successful 2019 campaign depends a lot on the arm (and knee) of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Thomas, the No. 3 overall pick in 2017, is entering his third NFL season and provided a brief update on his quarterback.
"Jimmy looked great in OTAs," Thomas said. "We're really excited for him, excited for all the guys coming back. It's going to be a really fun year for us."
Thomas also spoke at length about the NFL's initiative to bring awareness to the importance of mental health. Thomas, as most Niner fans know, lost his sister, Ella, in January of 2018. It was a loss so devastating that the impact carried over from the offseason to the regular season.
"I definitely had a lot of carryover from what I went through with my family in the offseason, losing my sister, just going through the grief process," Thomas told NBC Sports Bay Area in May. "I really didn't handle it well at first. I just kind of got stuck in a dark hole that I couldn't get out of for a while, and really didn't honor my emotions, or really even tend to them at all."
The 49ers have been very supportive of Thomas and his situation and hope he can make a significant impact during the upcoming season.
"The 49ers have been amazing for my family and I throughout my process," Thomas said during the "Good Morning Football" segment on Friday. "John Lynch reached out to me mid-season last year. He could tell I was going through a hard time. Most GMs would be like, 'OK, he's not playing well. I'm going to put him under the rug.' But no, John Lynch reached out to me and asked if I needed help.
"He got a therapist for me, and I've been working with her ever since. She's really kind of changed my life. John and the Niners have been amazing to me."
Thomas is looking forward to the upcoming season and helping the 49ers finally turn a corner and find success.
"I'm so excited about training camp, about the upcoming season," Thomas added. "You know, injuries have been a problem for us in the past, and we're finally healthy, so it's going to be a great season for us. Just going to go out there, play as hard as we can, and go win for our city."
