ESPN is running their latest “Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL series,” and one of the featured players appears to be new San Francisco 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas.
NFL Films tweeted out some video Tuesday evening showing Thomas on draft day in the green room in Philadelphia. It opens with the phone ringing as Solomon Thomas gets the call from John Lynch that he is the pick at No. 3. We see Thomas’ family overcome with excitement as Thomas speaks with Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan.
I did find his exchange with Shanahan interesting:
Shanahan: “I told you it was all gonna work out, man.”
Thomas: “Yes sir, you did, you did.”
Kyle Shanahan and other members of the 49ers organization attended the Stanford Pro Day, but we never heard much beyond that. He became the primary player attached to them in mock drafts, but it always felt more like herd mentality than based on anything specific.
It turned out the herd was right, and the 49ers had apparently made their interest clear to Thomas in the lead up to the draft. Whatever the case, it’s a fun video to watch.
When the moment you've been working towards your whole life finally arrives. #HeyRookie @SollyThomas90 @StanfordFball ➡️ @49ers pic.twitter.com/qn5gXVyQpj
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) May 3, 2017