THE LEGEND
Sports Mockery did an in-depth exploration of Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas not too long ago. Easily one of the fastest risers in the 2017 NFL draft, many in the scouting community have fallen in love with what the young man can do. So much in fact that he may be in play for one of the top five picks this coming April.
That includes the Bears. Of course the man Thomas will have to impress most is Fangio. Admittedly not something that’s easy to do. However, Fangio might well try to blackmail somebody in the front office to make that pick once he hears who Thomas is compared to.
Lance Zierlein is one of the prominent draft analysts for NFL.com. He loves what Thomas can do, and wasn’t shy about thinking big in terms of likeness to former NFL greats.
NFL COMPARISON: Justin Smith
BOTTOM LINE: Explosive defender who combines strength, quickness, and a muscle-car motor to drive him around the field making play after play. Has the hands and feet to be a quick-win specialist and the size to fit as a 4-3 or 3-4 defensive end who can reduce inside for pass-rush downs. He has all the athletic traits to become a high-impact player and possesses more than enough skill and talent to believe he will continue to elevate his game as a pro. Thomas has the potential to become the best defender from this draft class and a future all-pro.
It doesn’t hit any closer to home for Fangio than Justin Smith. His greatest successes as a defensive coordinator were in San Francisco where he fielded one of the best units in football for a four-year stretch. The lynch pin to everything during that run was Justin Smith. He not only impacted their run defense, it was his non-stop motor and strength that often squeezed the pass pocket as well. Aldon Smith wouldn’t have dominated in his early career without the presence of Justin.
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SECOND COMING
Thomas shares similar dimensions to him both in terms of body type as well as strength and a seemingly endless reservoir of effort. The crazier part is he might be a better athlete, which is pretty frightening to think about. He would be able to do things Justin Smith just couldn’t. One can imagine how he’d look on that Bears defensive line alongside Akiem Hicks and a healthy Eddie Goldman.
The fact he was born in Chicago would make it all the sweeter if he were drafted by the Bears. There is a lot that can still happen with almost three months before high noon of he off-season in Philadelphia. It’s not clear which direction the team is looking. Are they thinking quarterback? Safety? History shows that the top five is where teams love to stockpile difference-makers in the front seven. Giving Thomas to Vic Fangio would be seen as decidedly unfair.
