Looks like my Best Kept Secret may be Out....

[NewColtsFan]

 

His name is Solomon Thomas.       And if you watched the Sun Bowl,  then you saw Solomon.     A lot!

 

Well...    Lance Zierlein,  who does college evaluations for NFL.com has tweeted out that Thomas may go Top-5!       Holy Crap!

 

https://twitter.com/LanceZierlein?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

 

Now, he's looking at Solly as a 4-3 DE.        I was hoping that Thomas could lose 10-12 pounds and play in the low 260's and be a stand-up OLB for us.

 

I asked around the Stanford community to see what they thought?      Most of the feedback was....    "I think he can do that...."      But no stated flat-out that he clearly could.

 

So,  maybe it was a pipe dream.      But I think Solly is really good and if he falls to us,  then I think he's a Colts type of player.     Effort and energy.    Hustle and smarts.   

 

I'm just not sure he's a 3-4 scheme fit......        (Sigh...)

 

[krunk]

53 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

His name is Solomon Thomas.       And if you watched the Sun Bowl,  then you saw Solomon.     A lot!

 

Well...    Lance Zierlein,  who does college evaluations for NFL.com has tweeted out that Thomas may go Top-5!       Holy Crap!

 

https://twitter.com/LanceZierlein?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

 

Now, he's looking at Solly as a 4-3 DE.        I was hoping that Thomas could lose 10-12 pounds and play in the low 260's and be a stand-up OLB for us.

 

I asked around the Stanford community to see what they thought?      Most of the feedback was....    "I think he can do that...."      But no stated flat-out that he clearly could.

 

So,  maybe it was a pipe dream.      But I think Solly is really good and if he falls to us,  then I think he's a Colts type of player.     Effort and energy.    Hustle and smarts.   

 

I'm just not sure he's a 3-4 scheme fit......        (Sigh...)

 

I was just watching film on Solomon last night

[SP_21]

He's definitely a guy I want. Instead of dropping weight could he add weight?

[NewColtsFan]

5 minutes ago, SP_21 said:

He's definitely a guy I want. Instead of dropping weight could he add weight?

 

I don't know.     He came to Stanford at roughly 255.     Played last year in the 260-265 range and played in the middle of the line at that light weight.       This year,  he gained about 10-12 pounds to put him over 270.    But he played much more as a DE.      He still played some inside.     The video on Zeirlein's twitter account shows him over the nose and throwing the Notre Dame center around like a rag doll.

 

He's a fraction under 6'3" and the prediction is he'll show up at the combine at 275.     That feels much more like a 4-3 DL than a 3-4 DL to me....       Great kid.     Everyone loves him.      Wish it could happen....

 

By the way, to be clear,  Zeirlein's prediction about going top-5 sounds like he's passing along what he's hearing from his NFL sources and not necessarily his view.     That said,  he's also saying that Solly's tape reminds him of JJ Watt back at Wisconsin.     Though JJ is a full 3 inches taller.

 

[PeterBowman]

Would not be upset if Colts drafted him.....Picture him and a healthy Henry Anderson as the DEs.

[Yoshinator]

2 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

His name is Solomon Thomas.       And if you watched the Sun Bowl,  then you saw Solomon.     A lot!

 

Well...    Lance Zierlein,  who does college evaluations for NFL.com has tweeted out that Thomas may go Top-5!       Holy Crap!

 

https://twitter.com/LanceZierlein?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

 

Now, he's looking at Solly as a 4-3 DE.        I was hoping that Thomas could lose 10-12 pounds and play in the low 260's and be a stand-up OLB for us.

 

I asked around the Stanford community to see what they thought?      Most of the feedback was....    "I think he can do that...."      But no stated flat-out that he clearly could.

 

So,  maybe it was a pipe dream.      But I think Solly is really good and if he falls to us,  then I think he's a Colts type of player.     Effort and energy.    Hustle and smarts.   

 

I'm just not sure he's a 3-4 scheme fit......        (Sigh...)

 

I was waiting for someone to mention him. What a bowl game he had! Made Mitch Turbisky look like an amateur. This guy is someone I was mocking a few times for us on first-pick. I would be willing to change to a 4-3 and build around him.

[PeterBowman]

Doesn't Stanford play a 3/4?

[NewColtsFan]

5 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I was waiting for someone to mention him. What a bowl game he had! Made Mitch Turbisky look like an amateur. This guy is someone I was mocking a few times for us on first-pick. I would be willing to change to a 4-3 and build around him.

 

I think Trubisky is a very good looking QB who desperately needs another year.

 

He looks like a kid who has only started about 13 games....    he needs to start another 13.

 

Really good arm.    Very light feet.    Good body.     But when the pressure came,  and Stanford really brought the pressure,   he looks overwhelmed.       Another good year at NC and he might be the 1st player picked in the draft and ready to go for an NFL team.

 

If he comes out now,  then the team that drafts him better plan to sit him for a full year,  because he needs it.

 

[Yoshinator]

Just now, NewColtsFan said:

 

I think Trubisky is a very good looking QB who desperately needs another year.

 

He looks like a kid who has only started about 13 games....    he needs to start another 13.

 

Really good arm.    Very light feet.    Good body.     But when the pressure came,  and Stanford really brought the pressure,   he looks overwhelmed.       Another good year at NC and he might be the 1st player picked in the draft and ready to go for an NFL team.

 

If he comes out now,  then the team that drafts him better plan to sit him for a full year,  because he needs it.

 

Agreed, and good analysis. I'm hoping right now, after seeing that game, that the Jags choose Turbisky in the 1st and develop him behind Bortles. That would be the most likely bust early that they could take. I would hate for them to take Dalvin Cook.

[NewColtsFan]

 

Here's an NFL.com write-up on just how good Solomon Thomas is.

 

It's really, really flattering.     Lots of really nice things to say.

 

He's compared to a much shorter JJ Watt.         Wow!

 

Click and read.       It's all about Solomon.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000769732/article/solomon-thomas-plays-like-smaller-version-of-jj-watt

[stitches]

He flashed in the several Stanford games I watched, but I haven't watched his specific tape yet. Can't wait.

[SolomonThomasFanAccount]

i think he will fit fine with the weight he has know or at the lower weight , henry did come from same defense , solomon can 5 tech and 3 tech at the very least , at the very worst you are getting a very distruptive player who can play 3-4 de end at a high level next to henry and ridgeway at defense tackle 

[jshipp23]

He is Bad man...He would be a good pick for us if we go defense in 1st over RB..I think he would be a versatile guy we could move around the line to wreack havoc..I think he will be nasty as an end or olb , he is similar to Watt that way..If we get him to add with a pure speed rusher in this draft that can really go a long way to fixing this defense. ..

[Jact.stark]

He is a beast, but the problem is that he may not be able to play OLB in the NFL his position is DE 5T, i don't see us pick a guy how excels at DE and playing him at OLB(the change of position is a serious one look what happedn with Bjorn W.), he is technically sound, but i think doesn't have the speed needed for a OLB.

I would love to draft him but i think he comes in a bad time were we need a true rushing LB and a RB.

The only way i see him begin drafted by the Colts is that we cut J. Langford and A. Jones, then we would be need DLine i would love to have Solomon but again i think we are gonna go with a proved OLB( T. Williams, Barnett) or a ILB (Foster, Cunningham), even with D. Cook.

[jshipp23]

If you can get to the quarterback ....You can get to the quarterback. .

[krunk]

3 hours ago, Jact.stark said:

He is a beast, but the problem is that he may not be able to play OLB in the NFL his position is DE 5T, i don't see us pick a guy how excels at DE and playing him at OLB(the change of position is a serious one look what happedn with Bjorn W.), he is technically sound, but i think doesn't have the speed needed for a OLB.

I would love to draft him but i think he comes in a bad time were we need a true rushing LB and a RB.

The only way i see him begin drafted by the Colts is that we cut J. Langford and A. Jones, then we would be need DLine i would love to have Solomon but again i think we are gonna go with a proved OLB( T. Williams, Barnett) or a ILB (Foster, Cunningham), even with D. Cook.

Why not just play him at 5tech?  It ain't like we got a bunch of stars on the D line either.   Theirs room to draft D line too.

[Defjamz26]

Maybe if teams love him, it'll push Malik McDowell down to us.

[krunk]

1 minute ago, Defjamz26 said:

Maybe if teams love him, it'll push Malik McDowell down to us.

Mcdowell is a guy I wouldn't mind having

[WarGhost21]

Thanks for the post. Hadn't heard about him yet but I like what I hear around the internet. NFL.com comparing him to JJ Watt is the highest praise I've seen about a prospect for a while. Lance Zierlein even says he could run as fast as a 4.58 at the combine, which is outstanding for any pass rusher, especially at his size. His size shouldn't be a problem with that ability to move and could only help him as a bigger body against the O-line. I was wanting Zach Cunningham of Vanderbilt in the first but I might just have to change my mind here soon.

[krunk]

4 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

Maybe if teams love him, it'll push Malik McDowell down to us.

I take it you don't like Thomas

[WarGhost21]

4 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

Maybe if teams love him, it'll push Malik McDowell down to us.

I'm not altogether to fond of McDowell. He is a fantastic football player but from what I've read he has issues with effort.

[PeterBowman]

from the way things are shaping out, the Colts should get a very good player at 14 or 15 no matter who it is.

[krunk]

3 minutes ago, WarGhost21 said:

I'm not altogether to fond of McDowell. He is a fantastic football player but from what I've read he has issues with effort.

Mcdowell is only 20 years old.  That could have something to do with it, but they said the same things about Ridgeway in college too.  Didn't see any problems with his effort on the Colts.

[Defjamz26]

6 minutes ago, krunk said:

I take it you don't like Thomas

Haven't seen him yet. But everyone says he's a 4-3 guy. I would just hope that he could play 5T as well if we were looking at him.

[PeterBowman]

here's how I'm starting to see things.

 

These last 2 drafts couldn't have come at more perfect times for the Colts.

 

Last year, the Colts needed O line help badly. And what was that draft deep in? O Line. So they stock up on them and as the season went on you could start to see how much they improved (still a little ways to go but them being a jail break is over it seems)

 

This year, the Colts need D help badly (especially rushing the passer) So what's the draft deep in? D line and pass rushers. If they concentrate their efforts like they did last year and possibly stock up on that, then this team could be very well set for the with a young nucleus on BOTH sides.

 

We still need to see how it plays out but I can't help be excited at the prospects.

[WarGhost21]

4 hours ago, Jact.stark said:

He is a beast, but the problem is that he may not be able to play OLB in the NFL his position is DE 5T, i don't see us pick a guy how excels at DE and playing him at OLB(the change of position is a serious one look what happedn with Bjorn W.), he is technically sound, but i think doesn't have the speed needed for a OLB.

I would love to draft him but i think he comes in a bad time were we need a true rushing LB and a RB.

The only way i see him begin drafted by the Colts is that we cut J. Langford and A. Jones, then we would be need DLine i would love to have Solomon but again i think we are gonna go with a proved OLB( T. Williams, Barnett) or a ILB (Foster, Cunningham), even with D. Cook.

I'd just like to point out that he is projected to run a 4.58 40, .05 seconds slower than Von Miller and 30 lbs heavier. He doesn't have the speed though? ok....

[PeterBowman]

I asked earlier but I'm not sure....does Stanford run a 34?

[WarGhost21]

2 minutes ago, PeterBowman said:

I asked earlier but I'm not sure....does Stanford run a 34?

Don't quote me on this but I think it's really more of a mixed defense. It is technically a base 3-4, to answer your question, but they do play some 4-3 as well

[krunk]

Doesn't even matter to me.   We spend a whole lot of time playing nickel 4-2-5 and other stuff.

[jshipp23]

All this talk about him not playing OLB in 3-4 i don't see it...I think he'll be fine,  he is fast and quick with power..He is high on my list at that position..Worst case you got a great d-lineman..

[PeterBowman]

27 minutes ago, jshipp23 said:

All this talk about him not playing OLB in 3-4 i don't see it...I think he'll be fine,  he is fast and quick with power..He is high on my list at that position..Worst case you got a great d-lineman..

And we all know a great D and O starts up front..,.I think if Cook is off the board and Thomas is available....Take him. Pair him with a hopefully healthy Henry Anderson and wreck havoc.

[KB]

We might not even need to put him at olb. Let him play 3 tech DT. Could be our aaron donald. Not an edge but is a pass rusher.  

[stitches]

Matt Miller has him mocked to the Colts in his latest mock draft:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2686625-scouting-notebook-leonard-fournette-interview-reuben-foster-perfection-more

 

Round 1: DL Solomon Thomas, Stanford

Round 2: RB Alvin Kamara, Tennessee

[Archer]

I'm too worried about wasting our highest pick in the last five years on a guy who might not fit our system well.  I don't see our system changing much and I don't think there's a place in our system that we can make effective use of his great talent.  Too bad, move on to other prospects.

[Andrew Luck fan club]

11 minutes ago, stitches said:

Matt Miller has him mocked to the Colts in his latest mock draft:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2686625-scouting-notebook-leonard-fournette-interview-reuben-foster-perfection-more

 

Round 1: DL Solomon Thomas, Stanford

Round 2: RB Alvin Kamara, Tennessee

Wow what a waste of a 2nd.

But about Solomon, as long as it's not Bjorn Werner 2.0 I'd love him.

[stitches]

5 minutes ago, 12to13 said:

Wow what a waste of a 2nd.

But about Solomon, as long as it's not Bjorn Werner 2.0 I'd love him.

He seems like a beast athletically. Something you couldn't say about Werner. I expect him to blow up the combine.

 

At 270lbs, some analysts expect him to run in the high 4:50s

[Andrew Luck fan club]

1 minute ago, stitches said:

He seems like  beast athletically. Something you couldn't say about Werner. I expect him to blow up combine.

Just the talk about him having to switch positions, like Bjorn did, is a little scary. But I don't think we would make the same mistake twice. He does look extremely athletic. 

[stitches]

1 minute ago, 12to13 said:

Just the talk about him having to switch positions, like Bjorn did, is a little scary. But I don't think we would make the same mistake twice. He does look extremely athletic. 

Bjorn didn't fail because he had to switch positions. He failed because he was a bad football player with limited athleticism.

[SP_21]

7 hours ago, stitches said:

He seems like a beast athletically. Something you couldn't say about Werner. I expect him to blow up the combine.

 

At 270lbs, some analysts expect him to run in the high 4:50s

He's an athlete but I don't see the bend necessary to play OLB. Maybe he can put on weight and play inside?

[GoColts00]

I learned about Solomon Thomas in the 2016 Sports Illustrated college football preview. They said he was the athletic freak on Stanford. He has NFL strength right now. I have watched him over the season and think he could play 4-3 DE & both 3/5-tech spots because of his strength. He is fast, but i don't think he's a 3-4 OLB.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl3EAGuIZLs

If you go to :57 in the video you can see him jump the snap, pause to see what the QB is going to do and then run down the RB at the sideline. He is fast enough and i wouldn't have a problem with him being on the Colts.

With that said, I still would rather have Reuben Foster & Takkarist McKinley.