Earl Thomas, Free Safety, Seattle Seahawks

One of the most needed positions for San Francisco is Free Safety. The 49ers need a true centerfielder. In 2017, 7th Round draft pick Adrian Colbert came on and played very well but fell off to start 2018 and then went on IR about halfway through the season. The 49ers could choose to wait and see if Colbert is their answer, but Thomas makes a lot of sense for them, even if it is only for a few years. Earl Thomas plays in the same scheme that San Francisco employs, so the scheme fit is evident. Some of the worries would be that Thomas will turn 30 before the start of next season and he will be coming off of a major injury, a broken leg. The 49ers showed, however, that they are willing to take shots on players from Seattle, who just turned 30, coming off of a major injury (Richard Sherman, of course), and they might choose to do it again. I took the time to study some of the four games that Thomas played this year and show what kind of quality he would offer. 

Here you see Earl start in centerfield and then showcase how he can fly to the ball and make a play. 

Here is another angle and you can see how Thomas just jumps right in front to pick off the pass and set up a Seattle score. This, I believe is the added value of Thomas to the San Francisco defense, he can make plays like this while San Francisco’s 2018 defense desperately needs playmaking.

Here you can see Thomas lay a hit on Bears’ wide receiver Allen Robinson, this is one of the things I like about Thomas, his main job is playing centerfield but he is absolutely not afraid to lower the boom. 

This play may not look like much but if anyone should understand the value of tackling, it should be the 49ers. The 49ers missed an ungodly amount of tackles in 2018 and they would love a sure tackler on the back end like Thomas. 

Here is just another example of a nice tackle by Thomas.

Here is an example of Thomas’s playmaking ability, Michael Gallup dropping the ball, Thomas was able to pick the ball off and gain yardage for his team. Again, this ability is something San Francisco was severely lacking in 2018. 

I love this example of Earl taking down Ezekiel-freaking-Elliott as an example of just how reliable he is as a tackler, Thomas is all of 5’10” 200 Pounds, while Elliott is 6’0″ 225 and he easily brings him down. 

Again, Earl is opportunistic, he makes splash plays while also ensuring the other team doesn’t make splash plays. 

SUMMARY:

Earl Thomas remains an elite Free Safety and if he can come back from injury and keep form I believe he will be easily worth a sizable contract. Thomas takes good angles to the ball, is a very good cover guy and opportunistic in coverage. 

Dee Ford, EDGE, Kansas City Chiefs

Dee Ford was drafted 23rd overall by Kansas City in the 2014 Draft. He went to school at Auburn and at his pro day, he ran a 4.53 40-Yard Dash, and put up 29 on the bench. Ford is a force off the EDGE as a pass rusher. Ford played 30 games but only managed to collect 5.5 sacks through his first two years. Then, in 2016 he had 10 sacks in his breakout year. he fell off because of only playing 6 games and registering 2 sacks in the 2017 season but he has looked spectacular in 2018. He has showcased his freakish bend off the edge and versatility as a pass rusher. 

This play beautifully illustrates Ford’s pass rush ability and you can see his crazy speed overwhelm the Tackle as he goes to force a fumble on Case Keenum. 

Here you see Ford display his speed and athleticism by beating tackle inside and flushing Keenum out of the pocket. 

Again, Ford puts pressure on Keenum with insane bend and forces him to step up and make an off target throw. 

Again Ford wins with freakish speed off the edge to force yet another fumble on Keenum. 

Shows a nice motor and good effort after his first move was shut down and Keenum rolls his way to get the effort sack. 

Here you see Ford just blow by the tackle with his crazy burst. 

I  wasn’t going to put this play on here until I watched it again and saw Ford absolutely end this man’s career by just shoving him to the ground.