- A slow start gave way to solid production: Thomas recorded just one pressure through his first two games in 2024, before putting it all together and logging 33 pressures the rest of the way.
- Thomas' measurables don't limit his versatility: His 6-foot-2, 250-pound frame may seem like it would pigeonhole him into a stand-up outside linebacker role, but he also produces with his hand in the dirt pre-snap.
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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
As I’ve begun mapping out prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft, my film schedule has led me to the edge rushers. I would categorize it as one of the three to five most valuable positions in the game (the others being quarterback and offensive tackle, with a shutdown cornerback and a No. 1 wide receiver applying in elite cases).
Oklahoma's R Mason Thomas was draft-eligible last season but opted to return for 2025 before I really got to a final scouting report and evaluation. The more I watched, the more I saw a potential impact player in the NFL.
While Thomas is on the smaller side at just under 6-foot-2, he has good weight and strength on a compact frame at around 250 pounds. He comes from an athletic family and brings a multi-sport background — something I often look for when evaluating draft prospects. Thomas ran track, which is something we usually talk about with skill-position players. He participated in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes in high school, and that track speed shows up on the football field.
Thomas got off to a slow start in college. He played in 10 games as a true freshman in 2022 (231 snaps) and was still just a rotational player in 2023 (175 snaps), missing a few games due to injury. In 2024, he started 11 of the Sooners' 13 games, logging a career-high 529 total snaps. Although he recorded just one pressure through the first two outings, he put on a show in Oklahoma’s third game of the year against Tulane, recording a 93.0 PFF pass-rush grade with a 26.1% pass-rush win rate and five pressures. It was his first of four contests with at least five pressures last season.
Thomas' measurables may seem as though they would pigeonhole him into a stand-up outside linebacker role. He can certainly shine there, and does align in that technique at times, but he also produces with his hand in the dirt pre-snap. That role allows him to get incredibly low and almost always win the leverage battle at contact, loading all of his weight onto his quads for maximum explosiveness in his first step off the ball. Big offensive linemen tend to struggle to mirror and stay in front of him. And his fast and active hands only compound the issue for helpless blockers, especially if he deploys a two-handed swipe to stay clean and attack the outside shoulder.
Nearly three years ago, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said Thomas would be “hell on wheels.” That’s exactly what he has become.
He recorded a 92.6 PFF Game Athleticism Score last season, powered by 22 plays where he was clocked over 15 mph. Edge rushers usually don’t have the runway to get up to such a speed so often.
Thomas' pass-rush win rate has never fallen below 10.0% in each of his first three seasons, with 2024 marking his highest clip yet (14.0%). He also had five games where his win rate was above 18.0%, giving him eight over the past two seasons. When Thomas is on, he is very difficult to stop.
While measurables and play style might limit him to a designated pass-rush role in the NFL, that still holds value. Perhaps that means Thomas won't be a first-round selection, but plenty of teams will want him for the handful of plays where he just can’t be stopped.
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