In Todd McShay’s latest mock draft, the ESPN analyst has the 49ers taking another defensive lineman, Stanford’s Solomon Thomas, with the No.2 overall pick in the draft.
Former NFL scout and Bay Area media personality John Middlekauff does not agree, and told The Audible on Thursday that not only should the 49ers not take Thomas second overall, but that he is not a top five talent.
“I don’t,” Middlekauff said when asked if the 49ers should take Thomas in the first round. “I mean, I really like the guy. And I’m sure you probably saw Kyle Shanahan was (at Stanford’s pro day). I think Ron Rivera was there. So there were some heavy hitters at that pro day. Obviously, Christian McCaffrey there too. I think sometimes, we have the NCAA Tournament going on right now, and sometimes guys can make a lot of money in the tournament when they just go nuts.”
Middlekauff is referring to Thomas’ stellar performance in his final college game against North Carolina. Middlekauff believes that performance has inflated his value, and that it’s important to remember that he wasn’t considered a first-round prospect heading into that game.
“And I’m not saying Solomon Thomas was not a big-time pro prospect because he wasn’t a first round pro prospect in his last game against North Carolina,” Middlekauff said. “And the difference between football and basketball is you can have 5-on-5 pickup games in the offseason when you are going through the draft process. In football, that’s not the case. You don’t put the pads back on until once the season ends. These teams work you out in shorts and a t-shirt.
“So his last game against North Carolina, remember McCaffrey didn’t play in, he went nuts. I mean, he looked like Ndamukoung Suh. It was probably the best game of his season, maybe his career. Now, who was he going against, North Carolina — was that guy even a pro?”
What’s more, Middlekauff believes Thomas’ skill set is similar to both of the 49ers’ previous first-round picks Arik Armstead and Deforest Buckner, as like them, Thomas is not considered a pass rushing specialist.
“I’m not trying to take anything away from him, I just think the buzz and everyone now mocking him at No. 2 overall seems a little extreme. Especially because I don’t view him as an outside defensive end.”
Listen to the full interview below.