Several publications have gone on record predicting a breakout year from Solomon Thomas in 2018. Bleacher Report has penned two such articles and NFL.com added another last week.

Thomas' teammates are also believers that the second-year defensive lineman is going to take a big step forward this season. Thomas had an up and down season that featured plenty of good, but lacked the game-changing plays expected of a top five pick. He finished his rookie season with three sacks, 41 total tackles and one fumble recovery in 14 games.

"I think Solly had a solid year," fellow defensive lineman DeForest Buckner said of Thomas. "He came out (of college) early and he still had a couple things to learn, but I think he had a solid year. I think this year is going to be a great year for him to have a breakout season."

Buckner is among those in the San Francisco 49ers locker room who have seen growth in Thomas during the offseason program. DeFo shared that Thomas' increased confidence is evident.