PHILADELPHIA – With the third overall pick of the NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers selected Stanford junior defensive lineman Solomon Thomas.
Thomas is the highest defensive draft pick in program history.
He is the fifth first-round selection under Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw.
.@SollyThomas90 makes history and his dreams come true! Selected No. 3 overall in the #NFLDraft by the @49ers.
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) April 28, 2017
#StanfordNFL #NinerEmpire pic.twitter.com/nyd2Rgp5rR
.@SollyThomas90?
— NFL (@NFL) April 28, 2017
Welcome to the @49ers.
Meet @nflcommish! #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/3f1I4NdMRU
The Cardinal has had a first-round draft pick in each of the past three years -- offensive guard Joshua Garnett was the 28th overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in last year's draft, and offensive tackle Andrus Peat was the 13th overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2015.
Really excited to call this young man a 49er. Welcome to the family @SollyThomas90 #brickbybrick pic.twitter.com/iIm348nzEs
— John Lynch (@JohnLynch49ers) April 28, 2017
Thomas spent several years in Australia in his youth, but his return to the United States allowed him to develop first into one of the top high school players in the country and then one of college football's top defensive linemen.
After sitting out his freshman season, Thomas was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2015 (39 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks). He had four tackles, two for loss, and a sack in the Cardinal's win over Iowa in the Rose Bowl Game.
Congratulations @SollyThomas90 & @49ers! Highest defensive draft pick in school history is staying home.#NFLDraft #StanfordNFL #49ersDraft pic.twitter.com/UZ15Q75R24
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) April 28, 2017
Turn the volume ?? and enjoy the best highlights of @SollyThomas90 ??
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 28, 2017
?? @Pac12Network pic.twitter.com/T4yzcAE357
He kicked up his game as a junior in 2016, receiving multiple All-America honors and winning the Morris Trophy as the Pac-12 Conference's top defensive lineman. A native of Coppell, Texas, Thomas led Stanford and ranked in the top five in the Pac-12 in sacks (7.0) and tackles for loss (13.0). Thomas also led the Cardinal with 36 solo tackles, and tied for the team lead with 55 total tackles.
.@SollyThomas90 is the highest defensive draft pick in Stanford history.#NFLDraft #StanfordNFL #Rushmen #NinerEmpire pic.twitter.com/IOYBknh9Ic
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) April 28, 2017
Solomon Thomas stays in the Bay Area!
— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) April 28, 2017
For the first time ever, @StanfordFball has a top-5 pick that isn't a quarterback pic.twitter.com/vSR0JlyKI2
Thomas' Sun Bowl performance against North Carolina opened the eyes of many NFL scouts. Even his impressive stat line (seven tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss) failed to illustrate his dominance in Stanford's 25-23 victory. Appropriately, Thomas saved the game with a sack of Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky on a two-point conversion try with 25 seconds remaining.
Special moment for @SollyThomas90. ??#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/PTnKHhjdcR
— NFL (@NFL) April 28, 2017