The San Francisco 49ers were last in the NFL defensive rankings, and almost last against the rush, which John Lynch and the front office decided to make a change now, and that was by drafting Solomon Thomas with the third pick of the NFL Draft. Thomas will be a huge help as the defensive lineman from Stanford was an All American and an All PAC-12 dominant force, and was a disruptive force in college.
Thomas started all 13 games last year for Stanford University and had 62 tackles and 8.5 sacks, which is what triggered the San Francisco 49ers into having Lynch picking him with their first pick. Many deem Thomas to be one of the best pass-rushers coming out of the NFL Draft this year. Thomas will be a huge help in a defense that ranked almost last against the rushing attack, and when the offense decides to pass, he will be a wrecking ball looking to crash into the quarterback. Although Thomas is coming in as a rookie, he is becoming the new generation lead of this defense line, and potentially the entire defense for this upcoming season.
GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have begun the youth movement on the defense for the San Francisco 49ers. The Drafting of Solomon Thomas and LB Reuben Foster are the two cog pieces that will begin this progression.
While Solomon Thomas put up big numbers in college, he is going to have to carry those same statistics over from college to the pros. Now that Thomas is being filed in as the leader, expect him to make bigger numbers than he did in college, with potentially 75 tackles, and 10 sacks as a rookie, making himself easily a candidate for Defensive Rookie of The Year. Solomon Thomas, although a rookie, will become the new Spotlight and leader for this new and improved San Francisco 49ers defense.
Editor’s Note: This article can also be seen in our upcoming NFL Preview Edition.