The Oklahoma Sooners‘ defense has become one of the best in college football over the last couple of years. It’s no coincidence that OU’s emergence has coincided with the ascension of defensive end R Mason Thomas.
Thomas was banged up for much of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but provided flashes of what he could become. Healthy ahead of the 2024 season, Thomas had a breakout year with nine sacks and was one of the most disruptive edge players in the game. He’s built off of that performance to lead the Sooners with 6.5 sacks through nine games.
In his final season with the Sooners, Thomas is garnering the attention of NFL draft analysts and was projected to go in the first round of Pro Football Focus’ latest mock draft following the NFL trade deadline. PFF’s Trevor Sikkema had Thomas heading to the Dallas Cowboys.
R Mason Thomas won’t be for everyone. He’s listed at just 6-foot-2 and could likely measure in under that at the NFL Scouting Combine. But he’s still 250 pounds and packs a punch when he can convert speed to power. He might just have the most explosive first step of any pass rusher. That has yielded a 20.0% pass-rush win rate, even though he loses the length battle to every tackle he faces. The Cowboys made a big splash on their defensive line by trading for Quinnen Williams, but they still need more help at edge rusher. – Sikkema, PFF
R Mason Thomas has become one of the best defensive ends in college football over the last couple of seasons, and not simply because of his pass rush productivity. He’s been a terror in the run game as well. He’s a complete defensive end that’s been able to hold up at the point of attack against SEC offensive tackles.
Though he won’t blow anyone away with his height and length, Thomas makes up for it with attention to detail, elite speed and athleticism, and doing his job at a very high level.
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