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49ers GM was classmates with this top NFL Draft prospect

Solomon Thomas

As the San Francisco 49ers put the final touches on what they plan to do with the second pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft, there’s not many people outside of the organization that know what their plans are.

Coming off a two-win season and with a first-year general manager that boasts no front office experience, this team is a true wildcard in the first round.

With all that said, San Francisco has been linked to former Stanford pass rusher Solomon Thomas more than any other prospect in the lead up to the draft.

More so than Stanford’s close proximity to where the 49ers play in Santa Clara, there’s another pretty interesting connection here. Thomas is a former classmate of new 49ers general manager John Lynch.

Lynch, a former player at Stanford, returned to the Farm to complete his degree when Thomas was a freshman. The two took a Management Science and Engineering class together.

According to MMQB’s Jenny Vrentas, the two have kept in contact with one another since then.

None of this means that San Francisco will add Thomas with the second pick because he knows the chief decision-maker within the organization. That would be utterly foolish.

Though, connections can certainly play a role in the process. If Lynch is indeed more familiar with Thomas than others, it could lead him in that direction.

After all, the first-year general manager did not even attend Stanford’s pro day, instead opting to hang out in South Bend with Notre Dame. Simply put, Lynch indicated he already knew enough about Thomas and fellow Stanford product Christian McCaffrey.

To bring this all together in a nice little bow, Lynch also has a solid understanding and relationship with McCaffrey, who has been linked to the 49ers as well. The former Pro Bowl safety played with McCaffrey’s father, Ed, at Stanford.

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