KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.
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R Mason Thomas was drafted to add much-needed juice to the Chiefs’ pass rush.
During his NFL baptism Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams in Kansas City’s preseason opener at Arrowhead Stadium, Thomas delivered proof of concept for the team’s plan.
“You know, you're nervous before the game, you have some doubt, you don't know if you can do it or not,” Thomas said.
But by the game’s second drive, Thomas was shedding blocks to turn running backs inside and assist on the tackle for a short gain and walking back fellow rookie Austin Blaske into the quarterback’s lap for a pressure on a third-down pass in the red zone, which safety Jaden Hicks broke to force a field-goal try.
“That definitely takes away any doubt, fear, nervousness, butterflies, all that,” Thomas said. “That just goes away and you're just playing ball.”
He admitted after the game that he needed to clean up a few reps, but Thomas looked the part of a three-down defensive end with pass-rush upside as he settled in.
“It's kind of like muscle memory at that point,” Thomas, who finished with two tackles and also was credited with a pass defense, said. “You just start going autopilot. Your body's kind of used to it, kind of blocking out the crowd. It feels like practice at that point.”
Thomas, who has a reputation as a speed rusher, has enjoyed his training-camp battles with Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons, who is also known for his quickness. But seeing players from another team was a big step in the 2026 second-round D-end’s development.
“My teammates that we play in practice, they're a lot different from actually going against another opponent,” Thomas said. “... It definitely put in perspective that you definitely have to hone in on the things that they do instead of what you're used to at St. Joe.”
Thomas — a 6-foot-2, 249-pound standout from Oklahoma — also had a message for people who pigeonholed him as a speed-rusher only to be surprised that he could collapse a pocket by bull rushing a grown man five yards backwards.
“I don't know why people regard me as a speed-rusher,” Thomas said. “I do bull. I did bull at college, too. I guess it’s my stature, my weight; I guess they classify me as speed. But yeah, I’ve got (a) bull (rush). It's no surprise. It's only a surprise to them, I guess.”
The Chiefs certainly hope Thomas — the No. 40 overall pick after racking up 17 sacks and 25.5 tackles for a loss in 42 games over three years with the Sooners — keeps surprising opposing tackles.
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