According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, the Indianapolis Colts, who currently have no 2026 first round pick, are projected to select Oklahoma edge R Mason Thomas, with Pick #47 in the second round, as their first player chosen in this year’s upcoming draft class:
Regarding Thomas, the 6’2”, 249 pound senior pass rusher for the Sooners, just recorded 26 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, a pass defensed, a fumble recovery (*returned for a touchdown), and 2 forced fumbles during 10 games this past season—earning First-Team All-SEC honors.
Per NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, Thomas’s pro comparison is former NFL Pro Bowler Dee Ford, and here’s his draft overview:
Twitched-up rush linebacker whose lack of size and length at the point of attack could be offset by his rush talent. Thomas has added good mass over the years but still gets engulfed and displaced by big, downhill blockers. He’s more dangerous on the move, slipping into gaps and disrupting edges before they’re set. He’s an explosive speed rusher with the ability to shave the edge tightly or create surprising push with leverage and speed-to-power conversion. He needs to improve his hand work to create openings and counter long, athletic tackles with quick pass slides. Thomas should benefit from a wider alignment as an odd-front edge with the potential to earn a starting job within his first two seasons.
Also, here’s the NFL.com draft profile overview from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, who ranks Thomas as his 35th best overall prospect right now:
Rank. 35
Oklahoma · Edge · Senior
R Mason Thomas
Thomas is an instinctive and physical edge defender. He lacks ideal height/length for the position, but he is a difference-maker. As a pass rusher, he covers a lot of ground with his first three steps and has multiple ways to win. A widen/bull rush and swipe-and-rip are some of his favorite moves. He draws a lot of attention from extra blockers and still manages to disrupt the passer. Against the run, his lack of length wasn’t an issue in the games I studied. He’s firm at the point of attack and refuses to stay blocked. He plays with maniacal energy and effort. He was asked to drop into coverage at times and looked stiff in his change of direction. Overall, Thomas doesn’t fit the prototype, but I believe he’ll be a valuable NFL starter right away.
There’s no question that the Colts could use some outside pass rushing upgrades this offseason, which remains one of their team’s greatest deficiencies. Their defense had just the 7th fewest team defense sacks last season (29.0), and per ESPN analytics, ranked an abysmal 30th at pass rush win rate (29%) this past season. Outside of rising 3rd-year pass rusher Laiatu Latu, who had 8.5 total sacks, no Colts defender had more than 4.0 sacks in 2025.
Opposite Latu at defensive end, the Colts face some question marks as both former fellow first round pick Kwity Paye and veteran Samson Ebukam are set to become league free agents along the edge.
The Colts haven’t had much success drafting twitchy pass rushers in the early rounds of the NFL Draft under longtime general manager Chris Ballard, but maybe R Mason Thomas will be different this time around. One would think by just the pure law of averages and odds that the Colts would finally hit on one of these guys early.
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