Earlier this offseason, the 49ers’ No. 1 draft choice, Solomon Thomas, spent time working with one of the NFL’s best pass rushers, DeMarcus Ware.
Thomas, the former standout defensive end at Stanford, wanted to learn pro-caliber pass-rush skills from Ware, who recently retired.
“It was a really cool experience to learn from him,” Thomas said in an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “He taught me some crazy stuff. His technique is amazing. I was trying to take it all in. I’m texting him, so hopefully I can do it again some time.”
That “some time” was this week, when Thomas reunited with Ware at Stanford, where Denver Broncos’ pass rush star Von Miller was conducting a clinic he called “a pass-rush summit,” according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
Also there were Ware, Falcons linebacker Vic Beasley, Shane Ray of the Broncos, Malik Jackson of the Jaguars and Cliff Avril and Cassisus Marsh of the Seahawks. Barrows reported Miller had decided to hold the camp for young players at Stanford because he’s living in the Bay Area this summer.
The Twitter account of Stanford football posted a short video of Ware working with Thomas on his use of hand techniques with the comment, “Iron sharpens iron.” Thomas re-tweeted the message, along with a photo of himself with Diron Reynolds, his defensive line coach at Stanford.
Recently, too, Thomas spent time working with Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who posted videos and photos of the workouts – which focused on techniques and quick moves -- on his Instagram accounts.
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For his part, Ware says he’s been impressed by Thomas’ desire to learn from successful players this offseason.
“When you get a rookie that’s mature to call a veteran and say, ‘Can you help me before rookie training camp?’ That was big,” Ware said on ESPN. “He has that dog in him. He’s a strong boy now and fast. I said, ‘Listen, don’t touch me. I’m retired.”
Ware said he was honored that Thomas told him he wants to wear No. 94 in his honor.
Said Ware, of what he told Thomas: “I don’t want you to be like me. I want you to be better than me. So I’m going to show you some things to get you to the next level.”
