San Francisco 49ers: 3 players on the hot seat entering 2019

1. Solomon Thomas, DL

It’s safe to say that Solomon Thomas‘ two-year tenure in San Francisco has been an overwhelming disappointment so far. After being selected third overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, the former Stanford standout has failed to make an impact as a professional.

Thomas has just four sacks to his name through two seasons and has been virtually invisible as a pass rusher coming off the edge. That’s a far cry from the versatile, instant-impact defender that they thought they were getting back just two years ago.

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His play has been so disappointing that the 49ers felt the need to bring in two new starting edge rushers this offseason in the form of Nick Bosa and Dee Ford. The additions of Bosa and Ford will push Thomas inside where he will hopefully be able to perform better.

But he’s going to have to fight for playing time.

Budding star DeForest Buckner will be starting alongside the returning Arik Armstead who has also been moved inside full-time. There will, of course, be plenty of defensive line rotation and it shouldn’t be surprising to see him used a lot on first and second down.

Still, if the 49ers don’t see an uptick in pass rush production now working from the interior, they could opt to move on from Thomas altogether once his rookie deal runs out.

And with his fifth-year option decision looming sooner than you think, the time is now for Thomas to prove that he should stick around past his rookie deal.

Facing constant scrutiny and criticism regarding his draft status, there is no 49ers player more entrenched on the hot seat than Solomon Thomas.