FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL Draft scouting reports before the Combine in February. Here’s a look at Oklahoma EDGE rusher R Mason Thomas.
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2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: R Mason Thomas
R Mason Thomas (EDGE – Oklahoma)
6-foot-2 | 249 Pounds
Background
R Mason Thomas was a three-star recruit who rotated into the defense a bit for his first two seasons on campus, playing just over 400 combined snaps and totaling 16-3.5-1.5 in those two seasons before stepping into a starting role in 2024, when he posted 23-12.5-9.0. He followed that up with 36-9.5-6.5 over 10 games this past season, with his snap count falling from 529 to 372.
Positives
Thomas was a productive two-year starter for a major program. He’s a defensive end with very good reaction times and an explosive first step once the ball is snapped. Has the type of tenacity that teams look to see in the position. Plays with physicality and pretty good discipline as a run defender.
Does a pretty nice job of getting extension to lock out opponents, and holds the point of attack a bit better than his size would suggest. Looks fast in backside pursuit and when flowing laterally toward the football. Explosiveness makes him a real threat off the edge on passing downs. Shows very good flexibility to get low and slip underneath opposing blockers en route to the passer.
Dips his shoulder well and bends a smooth arc to the passer when speed rushing. Also flashes some ability to convert speed to power, owing to his low pad level and good leg drive. Closes very fast once he finds a lane to the passer and can chase down fleeing quarterbacks from behind. Took some more snaps in coverage than many of his peers in the class.
Negatives
Thomas’ overall size is closer to adequate, and he may be a bit smaller than some NFL teams want. Occasionally, his aggressiveness gets the better of him when he tries to anticipate snap counts. Can occasionally be fooled by misdirection, getting sucked in, or otherwise running himself out of the play.
Holds the point of attack better than anticipated, but isn’t going to reset the line of scrimmage against bigger tackles. Contact balance isn’t quite as good as some of the other EDGE rushers in this class. Thomas’ tackling hasn’t been the most reliable, although it improved this past year. Despite working in coverage a few snaps each game, he doesn’t seem to have the best agility or range in that capacity.
Summary
A fast, explosive EDGE rusher with more physicality than his size would suggest, Thomas has an impressive first step and one of the fastest overall speed rushes in the class, traits that made him a problem for opposing blockers.
Although his size is closer to adequate, Thomas is also a pretty competitive run defender who works hard and is capable of holding the point of attack reasonably well. Those traits should get him Day 2 consideration. He might be more of a third-rounder in a deep EDGE class, but it wouldn’t be a shock if he snuck into the second round.
Projection: Round 2/Round 3
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