49ers' Solomon Thomas: Mixed results in rookie campaign

Thomas finished his rookie season with 41 tackles (34 solo) to go along with three sacks through 14 games.

While he was active for 14 contests, the 49ers elected to bring the third overall pick along slowly in a limited role. Thomas was finally unleashed against the Cardinals in Week 4 and put together a three-game stretch which flashed his disruptive potential as a pass rusher (16 tackles and two sacks in three starts). A knee injury slowed him down midseason, but Thomas finished the year on a high note against the Jaguars (six tackles and his third sack) when he was once again given a full allotment of defensive snaps. The 22-year-old's lackluster totals should suppress his value heading into his sophomore campaign, but he possesses the potential to be an IDP factor as a defensive lineman if he is given the green light to be on the field for the majority of the club's defensive snaps.