Solomon Thomas--Stanford

This man is the reason Mitch gets s**t for his performance against Stanford. Thomas was in his face constantly and gave him no time.

I've heard some say he's better suited inside but that he can play edge as well. We need edge badly though, so hoping to get more confirmation that he can.

I've been all over this guys tape for awhile now. I am on page 3 asking myself, "are we sure this isn't the best player in the draft?" Not surprised at all to see him rise.


His athleticism, size and the way he wins with good first step, powerful hands coupled with good hand placement, and high effort remind me of Michael Strahan. That's exactly the role I see him playing in the NFL: strong-side defensive end.

Originally posted by Heroism:

I've been all over this guys tape for awhile now. I am on page 3 asking myself, "are we sure this isn't the best player in the draft?" Not surprised at all to see him rise.


His athleticism, size and the way he wins with good first step, powerful hands coupled with good hand placement, and high effort remind me of Michael Strahan. That's exactly the role I see him playing in the NFL: strong-side defensive end.

Funny you say that, Strahan is exactly the guy I was thinking of while watching Thomas' tape.

this is our guy at number 2 If we dont trade back this guy is a 10 year pro with multiple pro bowls

Originally posted by Heroism:
I've been all over this guys tape for awhile now. I am on page 3 asking myself, "are we sure this isn't the best player in the draft?" Not surprised at all to see him rise.

His athleticism, size and the way he wins with good first step, powerful hands coupled with good hand placement, and high effort remind me of Michael Strahan. That's exactly the role I see him playing in the NFL: strong-side defensive end.

Good call. I still think Garrett is the cream of the crop for this class but the more and more I see from Thomas the more I ask myself why is he not a fit for us?

Most people are throwing out the idea that he's not a fit for Leo. I ask why? Because he's not your typical height/weight or 40 time for those guys? We all saw the traditional 3-4 DE size combo and Justin Smith was not one of them. I was one of the people who questioned the signing when we got him. I thought he was too heavy to play OLB and too light to play 3-4 DE. I was dead wrong.

I think Thomas is another "tweener" but one who will work beautifully for what we need. Honestly how many guys at that weight move the way he does?

Sure he didn't run a 4.5 40 but he's not a WR or CB. 4.69 is damn good for his size, his lateral movement is scary for his size.

He can pass rush using strength and he can pass rush using speed. The guy busts his ass off on every snap and he's violent. What's not to like? If he was 20 lbs lighter would he be a better fit?

The reason I don't see him as a Leo is because Thomas wins in a linear fashion. His attributes are best suited moving forward through bodies in close proximity.

If you put at Leo, he's going to be rushing from a wide technique, likely a 7 or even a 9. Being that far from the tackle neutralizes his powerful hands and excellent balance through contact from that spot. You're putting him in a position to not do what he does best.


At the strong side end, he can play over the tackle, use the thunder in his fists, control his opponent with excellent balance and hand placement, and force the war of attrition with Thomas' high-revving motor. The tackle, in essence, is forced into combat in a phone booth with Thomas.

Originally posted by Heroism:

I've been all over this guys tape for awhile now. I am on page 3 asking myself, "are we sure this isn't the best player in the draft?" Not surprised at all to see him rise.


His athleticism, size and the way he wins with good first step, powerful hands coupled with good hand placement, and high effort remind me of Michael Strahan. That's exactly the role I see him playing in the NFL: strong-side defensive end.

I think overall its not hard to make the case that he is the second best prospect in this draft. He doesnt have the accolades as Garrett but posseses similar ability to wreck a team's gameplan. I think some people are really focused on where he would play, to me you can move him around anywhere on the DL and he will find a way to impact the game. He provides you with a lot of versatility and together he and Buckner could be the cornerstones of the next great 49ers defense.

yall think he has the potential to be better than garrett?

we could go all stanford with first 2 picks, thomas and mcaffrey

Originally posted by PRIMETIME21:

yall think he has the potential to be better than garrett?

Depends more on MG. I think it's harder for MG to live up to expectations. Thomas could have 8 sacks his rookie year and be seen in a more positive light than MG getting 9...people will expect double digit sacks.

I think Thomas will give 110% every day and will be a great pro. I still can't justify drafting him for the LEO. And if you're cool with kicking him inside on passing downs, the question must be answered. Who becomes the outside pass rush specialist? You go into the year with a major hole and leave the draft with it still there.

A mid round guy won't be the guy, let's be real here.

Thomas himself said he's a strong side guy.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

I think overall its not hard to make the case that he is the second best prospect in this draft. He doesnt have the accolades as Garrett but posseses similar ability to wreck a team's gameplan. I think some people are really focused on where he would play, to me you can move him around anywhere on the DL and he will find a way to impact the game. He provides you with a lot of versatility and together he and Buckner could be the cornerstones of the next great 49ers defense.

I love the idea of Thomas and Buckner as our DL cornerstones. Two high-character guys that are tenacious and relentless players.

A lot of teams use double 3Ts in sub rushing packages, so having Thomas, Armstead, and Defo all on the field is very feasible. Love to see Thomas and Defo on the same side.

We'd still need a Leo, yes, but that's fine. We can try to address that later in the draft or hold off until next year. Not every need will be addressed in a single off season.

Originally posted by PRIMETIME21:
yall think he has the potential to be better than garrett?

I can't say that but I will say when I watch tape on both Garrett wins on athleticism with very little technique. Thomas isn't the athlete that Garrett is but he isn't far off. Thomas has quicker hands and is better with technique. If the 49ers stay at #2 I'm basically down to Garrett,Thomas,Adams and Hooker. I like Jonathan Allen but his shoulder issues concern me and I believe that Garrett and Thomas are more explosive and better pass rushers.

Originally posted by SanFranFanfrmVa:

Originally posted by PRIMETIME21:
yall think he has the potential to be better than garrett?

I can't say that but I will say when I watch tape on both Garrett wins on athleticism with very little technique. Thomas isn't the athlete that Garrett is but he isn't far off. Thomas has quicker hands and is better with technique. If the 49ers stay at #2 I'm basically down to Garrett,Thomas,Adams and Hooker. I like Jonathan Allen but his shoulder issues concern me and I believe that Garrett and Thomas are more explosive and better pass rushers.

yea i would be down with allen as well at 2 , alabama shut down so many good RBs and he a big reason why

Originally posted by jreff22:

Originally posted by PRIMETIME21:
yall think he has the potential to be better than garrett?

Depends more on MG. I think it's harder for MG to live up to expectations. Thomas could have 8 sacks his rookie year and be seen in a more positive light than MG getting 9...people will expect double digit sacks.

I think Thomas will give 110% every day and will be a great pro. I still can't justify drafting him for the LEO. And if you're cool with kicking him inside on passing downs, the question must be answered. Who becomes the outside pass rush specialist? You go into the year with a major hole and leave the draft with it still there.

A mid round guy won't be the guy, let's be real here.

Thomas himself said he's a strong side guy.

I think we need to stop looking at his potential role as a limited strong side or inside pass rusher. This guy is pure versatility and will let us move him all over the Dline based on matchup. His advantage is his ability to create pressure everywhere and it gives the 3-4 other limited outside pass rushers we have on the roster already a chance to do what they do best.

Originally posted by jreff22:
Depends more on MG. I think it's harder for MG to live up to expectations. Thomas could have 8 sacks his rookie year and be seen in a more positive light than MG getting 9...people will expect double digit sacks.

I think Thomas will give 110% every day and will be a great pro. I still can't justify drafting him for the LEO. And if you're cool with kicking him inside on passing downs, the question must be answered. Who becomes the outside pass rush specialist? You go into the year with a major hole and leave the draft with it still there.

A mid round guy won't be the guy, let's be real here.

Thomas himself said he's a strong side guy.

I still think he CAN play Leo. Whether it's the best fit for him doesn't change that fact. Versatility is not a bad thing. We can look at someone like Jordan Willis, Derek Rivers or maybe even Tim Williams if ShaLynch think he checks out off the field.

I think if we can't trade down and Kyle isn't sold on any of the QBs then we need to grab the best pass rusher available. That's Thomas. He checks all the boxes as a player. Worry about where he plays later.