Rumors floated prior to the start of the draft that the 49ers were shopping 2017 first-round pick Solomon Thomas. General manager John Lynch quickly denied those rumors during his press conference after the team’s first selection.
Lynch told reporters that he’d spoken with Thomas on Thursday and believes the defensive lineman will be a big part of what the 49ers are doing moving forward according to Cam Inman of the Mercury News.
The categorical denial of the trade rumors isn’t a huge surprise whether they actually occurred or not. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if San Francisco did explore moving the former No. 3 overall pick.
Thomas has been a relative disappointment in his two full seasons with the club. He’s posted 4.0 sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss in 30 games. He had just 1.0 sacks and three tackles-for-loss last season.
Part of the issue has been his lack of versatility. The 49ers picked him believing he could be effective on the edge, but his real value to San Francisco is on the interior where there’s a logjam of bodies.
There’s still some value in the former top-three pick, and the 49ers have only six picks in this year’s draft. The notion that they tried to move Thomas for an additional pick isn’t outrageous. Lynch denies it though, and it sounds like Thomas will get another shot in Year 3 to break out in San Francisco.
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