Solomon Thomas--Stanford

Originally posted by jreff22:
You are focusing on combine numbers way too much. Not every player is projected to a position based off what they run. That's not how any of this works.

Aldon ran a slower time compared to J Smith. Do you think Justin should've been playing OLB rushing the passer? Skill set and technique come into play here. If we had no combine numbers and just tape, this wouldn't even be a conversation.

Bad comparison... Justin by the time he had played with aldon had added 15+ pounds to his frame to go with 11 seasons of wear and tear. He was no longer a speed rusher he started as a rookie.

Originally posted by jreff22:
His tape is interior rushing. He is an inside force and penetrator. Not a LEO.

He "can't" do it because it's not his position. We want somebody getting double digit sacks yearly. Putting him on the outside and forcing him at LEO works against him. It's like expecting Brooks to give us what Aldon did. Different players have different strengths.

You have no tape proving he can. All you have are combine numbers and a hunch.

This is the equivalent of taking Jimmy Ward and making him a corner. He can do it but would you prefer a good corner or great FS? At #2 we don't want good production, we need great production. Taking him away from what he does best is dumb.

You are going to experiment with him like we did Tank and ruin years worth of play we could've had. He's a strong side DE and DT on passing downs. He's not a dedicated LEO.

Very odd analogy since Jimmy made a pretty good corner...and when the dust settled he's being moved to his best position.

I see the same thing happening here. And there is tape of him playing outside. You won't find much tape of him playing the so called Leo way off the line because that wasn't their defense but he does have plays where he's rushing from the outside.

Once again the switch isn't as drastic as taking a 4-3 DE and converting him to an OLB. Unfortunately we don't have Tank's combine results to compare but we asked the guy to bulk up and expected him to maintain his athletic ability after knee injury...bad idea.

Very different than having Thomas keep the same weight or even drop some. Using your analogy actually makes my point. I think he can play Leo while we sort things out then move over to end.

https://twitter.com/EliotCrist/status/837135258491432960

^ looks pretty good on both charts but no question as far as interior guys his athletic ability is insane.

Originally posted by genus49:
Very odd analogy since Jimmy made a pretty good corner...and when the dust settled he's being moved to his best position.

I see the same thing happening here. And there is tape of him playing outside. You won't find much tape of him playing the so called Leo way off the line because that wasn't their defense but he does have plays where he's rushing from the outside.

Once again the switch isn't as drastic as taking a 4-3 DE and converting him to an OLB. Unfortunately we don't have Tank's combine results to compare but we asked the guy to bulk up and expected him to maintain his athletic ability after knee injury...bad idea.

Very different than having Thomas keep the same weight or even drop some. Using your analogy actually makes my point. I think he can play Leo while we sort things out then move over to end.

Tank Carradine Predraft
6-4 273, 4.75 40 pro day not combine, 28 reps 225. We ruined him when we asked him to put on 20+ pounds.

Originally posted by jcs:
Tank Carradine Predraft
6-4 273, 4.75 40 pro day not combine, 28 reps 225. We ruined him when we asked him to put on 20+ pounds.

Yeah, Tank should not be brought into the conversation. Very different situation when you ask a guy coming off ACL surgery to beef up and play a different position vs just asking a guy to swing out a big more and have some different responsibilities.

If anything Thomas may be able to lose some weight and possible get even faster.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Cool chart - length is his big weakness if he plays on the edge, but 33" isn't terrible. Guys like Charles Harris (32 3/8"), Tim Williams (32 3/4"), and Carl Lawson (31 1/2") have bigger issues there. Williams had a really bad combine - short arms is a red flag for a guy who is a situational pass rusher and he didn't do as well as he should have in the 3 cone or shuttle which suggests he may not have put in a lot of work heading into the combine. Thomas isn't your typical LEO who can bend corners and beat linemen off the edge off the snap, but he's a heck of a football player and should be a good player against the run and pass.

4-5 years from now, I think Thomas will be a strongside DE or a 4-3 DT (if he puts on a little weight). Armstead may be gone by then. In the meantime, I like Thomas as someone who can play across the DL in different packages. If we think he's the BPA, I'm fine with picking him. Armstead will still get playing time and hasn't shown enough to prevent us from picking another DL.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by paulk205:

My point basically is: we're a mess right now, and have no confidence in Baalke's prior draft picks.

Who is "we?" As much as the popular thing is to bash anything Baalke was involved with, the 2016 draft class is looking pretty solid thus far with Buckner, Robinson, Blair...etc. Needless to say if he had drafted that way every year he'd still likely be GM in spite of his obvious character and communication flaws.

PFW and a few others have graded that class either a B or an A after a year. Time will tell but it looks like the 49ers got some good foundational talent. Ward did fine as a CB but is even better suited as a safety. Lynch and Armstead are wildcards but there is talent there.

The key is to keep adding impact players to the defense to build on what is already there.

It always helps when you have top 10 picks. Hate Baalke all you want but he was great with high picks. So many GM's blow it badly even with top 10 picks.

Pretty small sample size. I would say he was good but certainly not great. I just was so upset when he didnt say Thomas.

2010 Took Anthony Davis with 11th pick - could have had Earl Thomas
2011 Selected Aldon Smith with 7th pick - could have had JJ Watt
2016 Selected Buckner... solid

Gotta disagree here. Do you remember our o-line after the 2009 season? Obviously hindsight tells us Earl Thomas was the better pick, but at the time, I don't see any fault in the Davis pick. Now I do remember Greg Schiano being critical of Davis, but I can't remember if that came out before or after the draft.

Aldon Smith was matching Reggie White's sack numbers and we desperately needed a pass rushing OLB. Again, at the time, the pick looked great. Especially in years 1 - 3.

If you are going to knock Baalke picks, there are PLENTY to choose from. No need to knock his high first rounders

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

https://twitter.com/EliotCrist/status/837135258491432960

Great interior pass rusher love this kid...not a stud edge rusher like so people think imo

Originally posted by LifelongNiner:
Gotta disagree here. Do you remember our o-line after the 2009 season? Obviously hindsight tells us Earl Thomas was the better pick, but at the time, I don't see any fault in the Davis pick. Now I do remember Greg Schiano being critical of Davis, but I can't remember if that came out before or after the draft.

Aldon Smith was matching Reggie White's sack numbers and we desperately needed a pass rushing OLB. Again, at the time, the pick looked great. Especially in years 1 - 3.

If you are going to knock Baalke picks, there are PLENTY to choose from. No need to knock his high first rounders

How many years did Aldon and Davis play with this team before they were cut? That plays a role as well in evaluating his picks.

Originally posted by jcs:
How many years did Aldon and Davis play with this team before they were cut? That plays a role as well in evaluating his picks.

It's hard to blame a GM for a guy who retires early or develops a drinking problem after he enters the NFL.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

https://twitter.com/EliotCrist/status/837135258491432960

Looks good coming off that LDE to me

Originally posted by genus49:
It's hard to blame a GM for a guy who retires early or develops a drinking problem after he enters the NFL.

Thats true except both had checkered draft profiles with red flags. Just to compare....we had AD for 4.5 seasons and Aldon for 3.5 seasons. Considering where they were taken in the draft and their long term value to the team both could be considered busts.