2017 NFL Draft: 10 Most underrated prospects heading into offseason
By Tyler Brooke
There might not have been another NFL draft prospect who helped his draft stock more during bowl season than Stanford’s Solomon Thomas. During the Sun Bowl, the North Carolina Tar Heels had no answer for Thomas, and he consistently wreaked havoc in the backfield.
Thomas was a force to be reckoned with this season, picking up 15 tackles for loss, eight sacks, seven quarterback hurries and a fumble returned for a touchdown in 13 games. As impressive as those numbers are, they still don’t highlight just how dominant of a force Thomas can be.
The Stanford edge rusher has some of the most violent hands in college football, on par with Alabama’s Jonathan Allen. He does a nice job of exploding out of his stance while keeping his pad level low to gain leverage on offensive lineman.
Not only can Thomas rush the passer, but he also does a great job of plugging up rushing lanes. At 6-foot-3 and 273 pounds, Thomas could honestly play either outside linebacker or five-tech defensive end in a 3-4 scheme.
Scouts will fall in love with Thomas as soon as they talk with him. He’s an extremely intelligent guy with a strong work ethic and a desire to be great. He’s starting to get legitimate first-round buzz after the Sun Bowl, but I think there’s a chance that Thomas could squeeze into the top 10 by the time the draft finally rolls around.