With the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the 49ers select defensive end Solomon Thomas from Stanford.
- Draft Tracker: Round 1
Pete Prisco's Grade: A+
"John Lynch is off to a great start in his first draft. Fleeced the Bears and got his guy. Love this move."
Instant analysis
What a start to the John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan era in San Francisco, getting additional picks to move down one spot and still managing to get the best player in the draft (in my opinion). Thomas exploded onto the scene in his second year with Stanford, racking up 8.5 sacks and putting the finishing touches on a dominant season by manhandling North Carolina during the Sun Bowl. He gets dinged a little bit for his size by some folks, but the reality is he can play just about anywhere on the line and might actually work out as a 4-3 end or even a 3-4 linebacker. He has gobs of upside and might very well end up as the best player in this draft.
Fantasy impact
The 49ers defense needs help, and Solomon Thomas adds another piece up front to help slow down those NFC West offenses in Seattle and Arizona (we'll leave out the Rams for now). The 49ers DST still remains hands off after they finished No. 29 in standard leagues in 2016.
NFL comparison
Aaron Donald: There are some big-time comps out there for Thomas, with NFLDraftScout.com's Rob Rang giving him a Donald comparison and NFL.com comparing him to Justin Smith.