Chiefs stay defensive with 2nd-round NFL Draft pick. Meet OU edge R Mason Thomas
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- Kansas City selected Oklahoma edge R Mason Thomas with the No. 40 overall pick in 2026.
- Thomas, a 6-2¼, 241-pound edge, was a first-team All-SEC pick after 6.5 sacks.
- The Chiefs drafted defensive players with their first 3 picks for first time since 2018.
The Chiefs’ defensive trend continued on the second day of the 2026 NFL Draft.
With their second-round pick, their third selection at No. 40 overall, Kansas City on Friday went with defensive end R Mason Thomas of Oklahoma.
Thomas, a 6-foot-2, 241-pound edge, was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection last year after collecting 6 1/2 sacks and 9 1/2 tackles for loss in 10 games.
At his current size, Thomas would be the Chiefs’ smallest defensive lineman. But his NFL.com profile calls him an “explosive speed rusher.”
Thomas said he models his game after another former Sooners defender, Nik Bonitto of the Denver Broncos. They weren’t in school at the same time, but ...
“That’s like the No. 1 reason why I went to Oklahoma,” Thomas said.
Asked to describe his own playing style, Thomas used the word aggressive.
“It’s all about having relentlessness,” he said.
Thomas missed three of the Sooners’ games in 2025 after suffering an injury on a scoop-and-score against Tennessee. In the previous season, he had nine sacks.
The Chiefs entered the draft looking for pass-rush help. Last season they totaled just 35 sacks, tied for 26th in the NFL.
A final note on Thomas, and how he got his first name, “R Mason.” That’s “R,” not an abbreviation or period.
His mother’s family has a history of males whose names begin with the letter R. But she also liked the name Mason. So she kept tradition alive while picking a name she likes.
“She wanted to keep it all going,” Thomas said.
In Thursday night’s first round of the draft, the Chiefs selected LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane with the No. 6 overall pick. KC had a second first-round pick as well and used it to select Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods at No. 29 overall.
Thus, this marks the first time since the 2018 NFL Draft — Brett Veach’s first as general manager in Kansas City — that the Chiefs drafted defensive players with their first three picks.
This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 7:09 PM with the headline "Chiefs stay defensive with 2nd-round NFL Draft pick. Meet OU edge R Mason Thomas."