San Francisco 49ers: 4 players with the most to prove in 2019
3. Solomon Thomas, DL
Solomon Thomas’ San Francisco 49ers career has been quite mediocre with last season being the low point. Thomas has been struggling to find snaps on the field which indicates that the coaching staff doesn’t view him as useful.
That point was proven when the 49ers were shopping Thomas during the NFL Draft last month. All of that makes the 2019 season a major ‘prove-it’ year for Solomon Thomas. As invisible as Thomas has been over the years, it hasn’t solely been his fault.
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Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh would play him out of position on the edge. That just isn’t Thomas’ strength as he benefits more playing inside. We may start to see the bulk if not all off his snaps come from the interior after the additions of Dee Ford and Nick Bosa.
All of a sudden the San Francisco 49ers defensive line looks star-studded with talent. This is easily the perfect opportunity for Thomas to take advantage of the talent around him. Opposing offenses certainly won’t circle the former No. 3 overall draft pick as a cause for concern with greater threats around him.
He has the chance to shine in a lot of games while flying under the radar. When speaking at a presser on day one of OTAs, Thomas mentioned that this is the best he has ever felt mentally, which is a significant factor.
Now Thomas will have that dog in him to blow up blockers and make a play. It feels like 2019 is going to be a great year for him and that he’ll finally come close to living up to his draft status.