When Solomon Thomas became the third straight defensive linemen the 49ers drafted with their top pick, fans shrugged and said, 'At least the d-line will be loaded and the team will be able to rotate heavily at the position.'
Well, not so fast.
San Francisco heads into Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals with one of those first-round picks, DeForest Buckner, playing more snaps through three games than he did last year, with no one on the depth chart behind Thomas and with just three sacks on the season. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fewer, and they've played just two games so far due to Hurricane Irma.