With the No. 3 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers have selected former Stanford Cardinal defensive end Solomon Thomas to bolster their defensive line.
With a new general manager in John Lynch and a new head coach in Kyle Shanahan, the new 49ers management pulled off a big trade, moving back one spot and picking up a bunch of draft picks in the process.
Chicago gave San Fran the Nos. 3, 67, 111, and a 2018 3rd-round pick for the No. 2 pick, and the 49ers still drafted Thomas, who many figured they'd target at No. 2.
San Francisco has a ton of holes all over its roster, and will be able to slot Thomas immediately into its defensive line depth chart.
RELATED: Solomon Thomas Stanford Highlights
In just two seasons at Stanford, Thomas was highly productive. He had 25.5 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks in his two years, with 8 sacks and 15 tackles for a loss in 2016 alone. He has 65 career solo tackles and 101 total tackles.
Thomas stands 6-foot-3 and 273 pounds, with 33-inch arms and 9 3/4-inch hands. At the NFL combine he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds, did 30 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, had a vertical leap of 35.0 inches and a broad jump of 126.0 inches, ran the three-cone drill in 6.95 seconds and did the 20-yard shuttle in 4.28 seconds.
Here's a look at Thomas' career statistics from his time as a member of the Stanford Cardinal:
| YEAR | GP | SOLO | A | TOT | TFL | SACKS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 14 | 24 | 15 | 39 | 10.5 | 3.5 |
| 2016 | 13 | 41 | 21 | 62 | 15 | 8 |
| Total | 27 | 65 | 36 | 101 | 25.5 | 11.5 |
