49ers selected Clemson T/G Brandon Thomas with the No. 100 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.
This pick made too much sense. Thomas (6-foot-3 1/8, 317) was one of our favorite O-Line prospects to watch on college tape. He frustrated Jadeveon Clowney in Clemson’s November clash with South Carolina, playing with a mean streak and finishing to the whistle. Thomas has left tackle length (34 3/4-inch arms) and athleticism (5.09 forty, 29-inch vertical), and was outstanding protecting Tajh Boyd’s blind side in college. He made 36 starts. Thomas might have been a late first-rounder if not for a torn ACL suffered during the pre-draft process. He’ll spend his rookie year on the 49ers’ reserve/NFI list and could replace LG Mike Iupati, who’s entering the final year of his contract, in the starting lineup in 2015.