NFL Draft 2017: San Francisco 49ers first-round grade

The 49ers traded back to three and drafted Solomon Thomas from Stanford

The San Francisco 49ers were connected to Solomon Thomas for a while. John Lynch, a Stanford graduate obviously had connections to Thomas of his alma mater. Mock drafts had the two tied together for about a month and there was obvious interest. While the 49ers got their guy, their overall grade gets a big boost by trading down one spot and collecting a slew of picks.

In Thomas, the question will be how he fits on their defensive line. The 49ers drafted two defensive lineman in the first round in each of the past two seasons. However, they are expecting a change in defensive scheme with a new defensive coordinator installed this season. Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner were defensive ends in the old system, but both will likely slide inside.

Thomas is a versatile player and will likely be able to play on the outside on early downs and slide inside on pass rushing downs. Buckner is a versatile player as well who can play inside on early downs and outside on pass rushing downs. The question will be whether Armstead can consistently stay on the field with the two, or if they look for more scheme compatible players to Thomas.

The fit is questionable, but the value is great. They were going to be stuck taking Thomas third overall. By trading with the Bears the added pick 67, 111 and a third round pick next year. Thats a great haul to land the player that you wanted all along.

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The 49ers draft is obviously far from over with the influx of new draft picks. However, it appears as though their weekend is off to a good start, and fans should respect the savvy move by an inexperienced coach and general manager.

First Round Grade: B