Revisiting the 49ers’ 2017 Draft: What they got from the Solomon Thomas trade

© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

From the moment John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan took the reins of the 49ers franchise from Jim Tomsula and Trent Baalke, it was immediately apparent that they were simultaneously in-step with their vision and more than willing to be aggressive.

Their first move? The Solomon Thomas trade, in which the 49ers traded back one spot with the Chicago Bears, so Chicago could take their franchise quarterback. A smart move, no doubt, in a draft which featured Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. In either one of those guys, you’d find value in trading up. So that’s what the Bears did. They traded up and drafted… Mitchell Trubisky, a one-season wonder from North Carolina.

In exchange, the 49ers recouped two third-round picks (2017, 2018) and a 2017 fourth-round pick:

The 49ers effectively entered the 2017 Draft with the following picks (the picks acquired in the Thomas trade are italicized).

Round 1, Pick 3

Round 2, Pick 34

Round 3, Pick 66

Round 3, Pick 67

Round 4, Pick 109

Round 4, Pick 111

Round 4, Pick 143

Round 5, Pick 146

Round 5, Pick 161

Round 6, Pick 198

Round 6, Pick 202

Round 7, Pick 219

With the Thomas trade, they now had two third-rounders and three fourth-rounders, and two thirds in 2018.

So what did all that ammunition result in?

In effect: Thomas, Fred Warner, Reuben Foster, Dante Pettis, D.J. Reed, Adrian Colbert.

You can evaluate that haul however you’d like, but the net benefit of the trade down was Warner, and we’ll have to wait and see on Pettis (one bad offseason from being cut) and Reed (unclear where he stands, currently K’Waun Williams’ backup).

We’ll circle back to how exactly they got those pieces.

Here is how the draft played out for the 49ers, in order of each move.

Traded Round 1, Pick 2 to Chicago Bears for Round 1, Pick 3, Round 3, Pick 67, Round 4, Pick 111, Round 3 – 2018
Drafted Solomon Thomas with 3rd overall pick
Traded Round 2, Pick 34, Round 4, Pick 111 to Seattle Seahawks for Round 1, Pick 31
Drafted Reuben Foster with 31st overall pick
Drafted Ahkello Witherspoon with 66th overall pick
Traded Round 3, Pick 67 to New Orleans Saints for Round 7, Pick 229, Round 2 – 2018
Traded Round 4, Pick 109, Round 7, Pick 219 to Minnesota Vikings for Round 3, Pick 104
Drafted C.J. Beathard with 104th overall pick
Traded Round 4, Pick 109 for Kapri Bibbs, Round 5, Pick 177
Traded Round 4, Pick 143, Round 5, Pick 161 for Round 4, Pick 121
Drafted Joe Williams with 121st overall pick
Drafted George Kittle with 146th overall pick
Drafted Trent Taylor with 177th overall pick
Drafted D.J. Jones with 198th overall pick
Drafted Pita Taumoepenu with 202nd overall pick
Drafted Adrian Colbert with 229th overall pick

The final part of the Thomas trade wouldn’t resolve itself for another year, when the 49ers traded the 59th overall pick acquired from the Saints, along with the 74th overall pick, to move up and take Dante Pettis with the 44th overall pick. They also picked up the 142nd overall pick in the process, which became D.J. Reed Jr.

Looking back, here are the grades for those moves, excluding the Pettis trade, which gets a D (considering D.J. Chark and Michael Gallup would have been available at their original selection), but wasn’t in the 2017 Draft:

Trade down from second overall pick to third: A+

Even though Solomon Thomas hasn’t worked out, the 49ers got quite a haul in that trade, and got Fred Warner out of it.

Solomon Thomas: D-

The only thing that prevents this from being a full-blown F is that it wasn’t viewed as an atrocious move at the time and Thomas had most of the measurables to back up his college production. He has also dealt with the death of his sister, Ella, something which obviously massively impacted his life and career. He hasn’t been anywhere near worth a second overall selection, but he’s had some production and may well get his best chance on the interior this upcoming season. The problem is, the 49ers could have drafted Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes here; a franchise quarterback for at least four cheap years.

Trade up, selection of Reuben Foster: C

The 49ers got bad medical information from Alabama, but the Foster selection was available for a reason. His injury and off-field issues have amounted to a career which seems to be holding on by a thread (the Washington Redskins just declined his fifth-year option), though you can never count out a team like the Cowboys or Chiefs taking a chance on athletic, high-upside, questionable player, if he become available for cheap. The 49ers got rid of an extra fourth-rounder and missed out on offensive line options like Ryan Ramczyk, Forrest Lamp and Ethan Pocic and secondary options like Kevin King and Marcus Williams, but again, this was a massive swing pick. They were either getting an elite linebacker who would make them look like geniuses, or they would get what they got; an injury-riddled, off-field mess whose enormous upside was self-shuttered.

Ahkello Witherspoon: B-

It’s hard to tell what to make of Witherspoon at this point. He had a promising rookie year, took a step back in 2018, started off like an All-Pro corner for a few weeks in 2019, and then never recovered. The ability is clearly there, but it’s a question of whether he can regain his confidence and track the ball better going forward.

Trade with New Orleans Saints: B

The 49ers acquired a second-rounder in 2018 here, along with a seventh-rounder, but they turned it into Dante Pettis and Adrian Colbert. It’s a solid value trade, but they missed the mark on their selection in 2018. Still, there was a ton of value from this pick on.

Trade up for C.J. Beathard: F

The cost of this trade was just a fourth-rounder, five spots below where the 49ers were picking, and a seventh-rounder. But Beathard isn’t an NFL quarterback, and he wasn’t lighting the world on fire coming out of college. Luckily he was poor enough that the 49ers got to select at least Mike McGlinchey the following year. Broc Rutter, a Division III stud, may well take his job in training camp, if there is one, this summer.

Trade up for Joe Williams: F

Somehow the team spent more on trading up for Williams than Beathard, which is hard to believe. He never played an NFL snap.

Trade back to acquire Kapri Bibbs, fifth-round pick: D

Trent Taylor is a solid player who was set up to having a tremendous season last year and came out of this trade, but Bibbs was never even a player for the 49ers. Another mis-evaluation of running back talent to slide back 68 spots. If they were that high on Taylor, they would have taken him in the fourth round. They got lucky here, but it’s a poor trade.

George Kittle: A+

Pretty good player.

Trent Taylor: B+

Another great fifth-round pick, Taylor could still be a crucial part of the 49ers going forward, assuming he stays healthy. He’s a favorite of Jimmy Garoppolo’s and offers the 49ers a sneaky slot option.

D.J. Jones: A

Jones has dealt with injuries, but he’s a wrecking ball of a nose tackle, and if he stays healthy, will undoubtedly be one of the best at his position. He has tremendous speed, agility and raw power at his size, and is a crucial part of what the 49ers do. He was missed down the stretch.

Pita Taumoepenu: C

It’s hard to be too harsh on a sixth-round pick, but Taumoepenu was a below-average player who played just two years with the 49ers.

Adrian Colbert: B

For a seventh-round pick, Colbert was a solid selection. Now, his deficiencies as a coverage player eventually caught up with him and he’s effectively an undersized, fast linebacker, but he provided some excitement and glimpses of potential in his time.

Draft grade: C

The highlight of this draft was the trade down at the start and finding Kittle, Jones and Taylor in late rounds. Witherspoon was a decent early-round pick, but the first two misses were seismic, and there were other questionable moves as a whole. It wasn’t a bad draft, but they could have found a franchise quarterback on a rookie deal, and eschewed that opportunity.