The Kansas City Chiefs needed an edge rusher, and they selected R Mason Thomas to add his athleticism to their defense.
The Kansas City Chiefs finally got their edge rusher with their second-round pick, as the selected R Mason Thomas from Oklahoma after being unable to move up enough to take David Bailey or Arvell Reese in the first round last night.
Thomas’s name wasn’t mentioned in connection with the Chiefs, which is one of several surprising elements of this selection. GM Brett mentioned the depth of the edge rushing talent in this draft, but most of the speculation based on his assessment of Kansas City’s positional needs had the Chiefs going for Bailey, Reese, a receiver like Carnell Tate or an offensive lineman.
Instead the Chiefs took Mason. He’s not necessarily a bad pick but he does some with some typical second-round flaws, some of which were mentioned initially by both Mel Kiper and Louis Riddick of ESPN.
Riddick was more complimentary than Kiper was. He characterized Thomas as the kind of player you want if you want someone to get around a slow-footed tackle and put a quarterback on the ground.
Kiper was harsher by a lot. He mentioned Thomas’s struggles against the run as one issue, along with a tendency to miss tackles. The latter is a problem that won’t go over well with Cheifs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, although Spagnuolo did appear to be smiling slightly during the obligatory post-pick glimpse into the Chiefs draft room.
There’s good reason for that. Thomas doesn’t have elite height or length, but he is an athlete with a capital "A." He doesn’t have elite size or length at just over 6’2” and 241 pounds, but Thomas does have a blend of power, physicality and speed, and his pass rush is both instinctive and refined. He’s been described as an attack dog by draft expert Todd McShay, and the Chiefs need a player like that. Thomas is built low to the ground, and he knows how to play with leverage to get around the edge.
As the “attack dog” description implies, there are times when Thomas goes too far with that approach, He comes in hot, so much so that he can’t move off his spot if the quarterback is able to evade him. He got bullied by the Texas run game during Oklahoma’s game against the longhorns, and he doesn’t have a great feel for coverage.
Thomas will likely be used as a spot player initially, which is fine if he continues to develop and eventually outgrows that role. The Chiefs need someone to help unleash defensive end George Karlaftis and give tackle Chris Jones help in the pass rush, and they think Thomas can be that guy.