Stanford DL Solomon Thomas declares for NFL draft

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas will leave school early to enter the NFL draft.

Thomas said Wednesday that he will bypass his final two seasons of eligibility to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL. Thomas is projected by some experts as a first-round pick.

Thomas was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and third-team All-American this season. He had eight sacks and 15 tackles for loss. His final collegiate play was a sack of North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky on a potential game-tying 2-point conversion in the closing seconds of Stanford's Sun Bowl win.

Thomas is the second Cardinal player to leave early for the draft this season, joining running back Christian McCaffrey.