{"id":7224,"date":"2026-04-17T08:58:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/?p=7224"},"modified":"2026-04-17T09:02:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:02:20","slug":"nfl-draft-scouting-report-edge-defender-r-mason-thomas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/nfl-draft-scouting-report-edge-defender-r-mason-thomas\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Draft – Scouting Report – Edge Defender R Mason Thomas"},"content":{"rendered":"

NFL Draft – Scouting Report – Edge Defender R Mason Thomas\"\"<\/h3>\n

Draft Insiders\u2019<\/em> 2026 Yearbook \u2013 Scouting Reports \u2013 over 250 Reports \u2013 available now
\nNFL Team Report \u2013 35 pages \u2013 In-depth Evaluation of Offseason Moves<\/h4>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0R Mason Thomas #32 – 6-2, 241\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Oklahoma – Sp. 4.67 <\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0NFL Comparison: Nick Bonitto\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rating 86\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Quick-twitch athlete has been an impact edge rusher for the Sooners defense over his final two seasons. Earned 2nd team SEC honors those seasons. Registered 16 sacks along with 14 pressures and 22 TFLs in impressive performances. Plays both up and down and uses his compact well-built physique to deliver crushing hits. Shows an elite burst on the snap and shocks blockers with a strong hand punch. Combines power with his explosive initial movement off the snap. Displays an outstanding closing burst to finish and run at the top of the arc. Basically, he is a one-dimensional edge rusher, though can be very impactful. Displays the first step explosiveness to come up field and attack the edge with abandon. Able to bend and run the arc, while getting low and under the tackle. At times, he struggles to complete the arc where he fails to convert his speed to power. Offenses limit his rush effectiveness by coming back inside the area he vacates when he attacks hard up field. His game is based on speed and power. Missed the final three games of 2025 due to a quad injury sustained returning a 71 yard interception for a TD.\u00a0 Returned for the CFP playoffs vs Alabama with limited effectiveness. He sat out the Senior Bowl preparing to workout at the NFL Combine. In run support, he must fight to anchor and hold his ground when running plays come right at him. Works to disengage and stay involved in the play, though gets engulfed at the point attack too often. He has the burst of speed to run down ball-carriers in backside pursuit. At times, he will drop into zone coverage, where he is raw in awareness and reactions. Able to be equally effective rushing from either a two-point or with his hand on the turf. Supplies a decent repertoire of pass rush techniques. Uses his speed to beat tackles wide as well as come initially with power, create space with good extension, then use a rip move to penetrate the pocket. Displays good balance, agility and awareness to read plays with good reaction time. Shows the development to counter when his initial rush is shut down. Usually depends on his initial burst and hands to break free if blockers are able to latch on. Best pro position to become a starter will likely be a wide nine end or 3-4 outside backer where he can use his fine burst combined with good flexibility and awareness. At the NFL Combine, he came in at 6022, 241 lbs. with 31 5\/8\u201d arms and 8 7\/8\u201d hands. Did ran a 4.67 time with a 1.63 ten-yard split. He did no other drills. Explosive athlete with the skills to be a good every down attack defender with impact ability to rush the passer. Similar skills as tweener Nick Bonitto. Top 30 prospect with upside and the AA to become an edge playmaker, though may be limited to a situational role.<\/p>\n

Draft Projection: 1st Round<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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NFL Draft – Scouting Report – Edge Defender R Mason Thomas Draft Insiders\u2019 2026 Yearbook \u2013 Scouting Reports \u2013 over 250 Reports \u2013 available now NFL Team Report \u2013 35 pages \u2013 In-depth [read more…]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7184,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[102,22,43,11,18],"tags":[32],"class_list":{"0":"post-7224","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl-draft","8":"category-nfl-draft-prospects","9":"category-nfl-headlines","10":"category-nfl-news","11":"category-yearbook-sample-scouting-report","12":"tag-draft-insider-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7224"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7233,"href":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7224\/revisions\/7233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/draftinsiders.com\/DraftInsiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}