David Shaw was live on air with NFL Network when the San Francisco 49ers took Solomon Thomas with the third overall pick. Stanford’s head football coach knew that his former defensive lineman would go early, but he was elated to learn that he’d remain in the Bay Area.
On Tuesday, Shaw joined 49ers.com to explain why Thomas was the right choice for San Francisco.
“Going purely off of film, this is an explosive interior pass-rusher, which can’t be undersold,” Shaw said over the phone. “We all think about rushing the passer off the edge, but if you’ve got a legitimate big-time interior rusher, quarterbacks have a hard time stepping up in the pocket.