2017 NFL Draft: The perfect pick for the San Francisco 49ers

Who is the perfect pick for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2017 NFL Draft? Solomon Thomas could be a game changer for this team’s new era…

As the new brain trust of the San Francisco 49ers, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are going to be under the microscope in the 2017 NFL Draft. The second overall pick in the draft needs to be someone that is going to come in and obviously have long-term impact for this 49ers team, someone who will exemplify what they want to be as a franchise.

What we know about John Lynch is that he’s an incredibly hard worker. Dating back to his playing days, the two-sport athlete out of Stanford worked for every rep he had in the NFL, and he was one of the greatest of his time because of the work he put in off the field.

Of course, as he transitions to being an executive in the NFL, I think he’s going to target someone at the top of the draft that shares those work habits both on and off the field.

Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are going to work together on this pick, but it can’t be a forgone conclusion that a quarterback will be selected. The Niners need to take the best player available, and to me, that player is none other than Solomon Thomas at Stanford.

I’ll even go so far as to say that Thomas is the perfect pick for the 49ers at this juncture for the franchise.

Why?

Aside from Myles Garrett, I don’t think there’s a more versatile, disruptive defensive player in this year’s entire draft class. The 49ers have the two Oregon defensive ends in DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead, and it’s easy to assume they don’t ‘need’ help up front.

Especially after plugging another hole with Earl Mitchell, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, the 49ers may not have a real pressing need for a defensive lineman…

…until you see what Thomas is capable of doing.

It doesn’t matter if you line him up at the five-technique, the three-technique, the one-technique, standing, sitting, kneeling, with his hand in the dirt, or wherever — you know with relative certainty that Solomon Thomas is going to make a play, and cause problems for opposing offensive lines.

He’s a mismatch no matter where he’s lined up. There are some who wonder about his ‘position’ at the next level, but you know what? You don’t have to play a guy like this at one specific position all the time. Like a great baseball manager will matchup certain hitters with different pitchers, an NFL coaching staff will use Thomas where the matchup dictates.

Thomas has the strength to win against guards and centers, and the quickness to get around the edge and beat an athletic tackle. He has long enough arms to extend and use his upper body to win, but he also has the explosiveness of a guy that weighs about 240 pounds.

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At the Scouting Combine, Thomas checked in at 6-3, 273. This is a big, bad dude.

The 49ers don’t really have the ‘luxury’ of picking a position of need right away. They will take the best player available and some are comparing Solomon Thomas to an Aaron Donald caliber weapon. There’s not many like Aaron Donald in the NFL, so if Thomas comes even close to that, he’s going to be phenomenal.

With Buckner, Armstead, and Mitchell already in the fold for San Francisco, I can think of no better way to enhance the defense than to go after Solomon Thomas.

This is a guy that’s going to make a lot of tackles in the backfield. He’s going to get a lot of hits and sacks on the quarterback. He’s a relentless effort type of player, and I think that will really resonate with John Lynch.

The Stanford connection is the obvious tie, but the type of player Thomas is will attract the new regime in San Francisco more than anything. He’s the best weapon available at their disposal, and drafting him at no. 2 overall allows them to make a move back into the first round later on to get the quarterback they covet.

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