Grading the pick: Kansas City Chiefs go against the grain with bendy Oklahoma EDGE R Mason Thomas
The Kansas City Chiefs continued to invest in the defensive line as predicted, landing a speedy and bendy edge rusher in Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas.
The first pick of Day 2 is in for the Kansas City Chiefs!
With the No. 40 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the Chiefs select Oklahoma EDGE R Mason Thomas.
The last time the Chiefs selected a player at pick No. 40 was in the 1992 NFL Draft, when they took Virginia QB Matt Blundin. Two years prior, they had better luck, taking Chiefs Hall of Fame center Tim Grunhard out of Notre Dame at pick No. 40.
H2: Everything to know about Oklahoma EDGE R Mason Thomas
Age: 21
A to Z Sports Draft Projection: 37 overall
Career Projection: Immediate Quality Starter
Thomas is an undersized standup EDGE who is one of the better pass rushers in the 2026 NFL Draft class. If you want a physical run defender that is going to impact all three downs, then Thomas probably won’t be for you. Thomas can, however, get after the quarterback as well as anyone in the class. His first step is tremendous, easily able to threaten the outside track as a pass rusher. Once he gets to the top of the track, Thomas has shown the ability to bend the corner, as well as winning across the face of opposing offensive tackles. Thomas has also shown growth in terms of his pass rush repertoire, adding good moves to his bag over the last two seasons. There are clear limitations to Thomas’s game but if a prospective team allows him to lean into his strengths, Thomas has a chance to be a plus starter and an impact pass rusher.
rYAN ROBERTS
A to Z Sports
Chiefs get their pass rush help, but it’s not what Steve Spagnuolo typically goes for
The biggest remaining need for the Kansas City Chiefs was to land edge rush help. Brett Veach said the team met with every edge rusher in the 2026 NFL Draft and conducted rigorous research on all players who could impact their team. They did their research and settled on a player who goes against the grain for what they typically look for in an edge rusher.
R Mason Thomas is not the typical mold of a Steve Spagnuolo edge rusher. He’s not going to be the edge-setting, run-first type. He’s 6-foot-2.5 and 241 pounds, with sub-32-inch arms. But you can’t block him if you can’t touch him, and Thomas is an absolute blur around the edge. That much was evidenced by his 90th percentile 40-yard dash at the combine.
The production is also eye-popping and could translate well to the NFL game. In 2025, R Mason Thomas recorded 26 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 3 QB hurries, one pass defended, and one touchdown. Over his four-year career, he’s recorded 17 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss.
At the end of the day, Thomas gives the Chiefs some juice off the edge that they were lacking. He’s a pass-rush specialist who can simply pin his ears back and go after the quarterback.
Grade: B
