Raiders sign former 49ers third-overall pick DL Solomon Thomas to one-year deal

Mike Mayock said the Raiders were going to go deep in free agency. They grabbed did that today, grabbing a former high pick who had fallen off most people’s radars.

The Raiders signed former third overall pick Solomon Thomas to a one-year, $5 million deal according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Thomas was lost to a torn ACL in the second week of last season. He is an interior defensive lineman, working best as a 3-tech DT or 5-tech DE.

“I would definitely say that I like playing inside,” Thomas told Michael Robinson recently. “That’s where I made my bread and butter at Stanford. I like playing from that 3-technique. I think I can be real disruptive there. I can get into guards. I mean, I can be a great pass rusher off the edge there (too). I really like the inside, but I also think that’s what makes me special—my versatility and to move to the outside if you need (me) to. But inside, I feel like is where I can make my money.”

Thomas also said his rehab is going well and he is feeling “normal and feeling strong.”

The Stanford product never lived up to the level of disruption the 49ers wanted from him when they made him the third overall pick. He has just six sacks and 23 QB hits over his four-year career.

One would imagine when it said “up to $5 million” his actual contract is far less with several incentives required to reach that number.

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