Why Chiefs rookie R Mason Thomas is influenced by this AFC West pass rusher
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Thomas said Bonitto was one of the reasons he went to Oklahoma.
- Chiefs drafted Thomas 40th overall in 2026 for his explosive first step and hand-fighting.
- Bonitto signed a four-year extension worth up to $120 million before last season.
R Mason Thomas has graduated from the Oklahoma Sooners’ school of pass rushing and is bringing his explosive ways to the Kansas City Chiefs.
From Eric Striker to Ogbo Okoronkwo to Nik Bonitto, OU has produced some undersized but explosive pass rushers over the past two decades. Thomas took early notice of Bonitto, who’s now with the Denver Broncos but back then was a fearsome Sooners linebacker.
Bonitto is part of the reason Thomas chose to go to school in Norman.
“He definitely was a big influence,” Thomas said Friday as the Chiefs opened their annual rookie mini-camp. “The Lord led me to Oklahoma, but he (Bonitto) was also one of the reasons that I went, too.
“I ask him all the time about different things he looks at, like what he does to help his pass rush, what he focuses on.”
The Chiefs took Thomas with the 40th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft last week because of his explosive first step off the ball. The quickness in his moves is influenced by his experience running multiple sprint events in high school track and field. He ran the 100, 200 and 400 meters.
“I wasn’t all that fast. South Florida’s got some speedsters,” Thomas said with a laugh.
He ran a 4.67-second time in the 40-yard dash, with a 1.63 10-yard split. The split time, which is more important for edge rushers, is .01 behind second overall pick David Bailey, and the same as Myles Garrett’s time at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Once he gets past the line of scrimmage, Thomas wins with hand-fighting, including some rip moves. His bend and long stride enable him to get his hips around the opposing tackle quickly.
Thomas (6-foot-2, 241 pounds) was compared to Bonitto (6-3, 240) throughout the draft process, and for good reason.
Their similarities are apparent in how they play: with size, relentless effort, get-off and bend around the edge. They’re also both from South Florida, Fort Lauderdale, to be exact: Bonitto went to renowned St. Thomas Aquinas, Thomas to the also successful Cardinal Gibbons — whose mascot is the Chiefs.
“When I got drafted, the guys from Cardinal Gibbons, the Chiefs, they were chanting, ‘Once a Chief, always a Chief,’” Thomas said.
Bonitto was a 64th overall pick in the second round for the Broncos in 2022. Four years into his career, he has become one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. He went from 1.5 sacks as rookie to eight in his second year, 13.5 in 2024 and 14 last season.
Bonitto signed a four-year contract extension worth up to $120 million before last season, showing the going rate for a pass-rusher of his caliber.
Bonitto has mastered the art of the get-off, boasting one of the fastest in the league. He also shows the power in his game with a bull rush or moving from a one-armed rush to a rip move.
“He’s not a big guy, so we don’t necessarily have to look at the power,” Thomas said. “But then he shows us how you use power between that, too.”
Thomas’ selection gives the Chiefs at least one speed rusher alongside the long, power rushers spread across their defensive line. If all goes to plan, this season could feature a modern version of the backfield parties Dee Ford and Frank Clark once held after combining for big stops on third down.
Thomas was productive in college, a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection last year after collecting 6 1/2 sacks and 9 1/2 tackles for loss in 10 games. The year before, he totalled nine sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss as a second-team All-SEC selection.
The Chiefs hope that production carries over to the next level and boosts a pass rush that’s had to find ways to get to the quarterback without blitzing. The Chiefs ranked 18th in pressure rate in 2024 and 30th on non-blitz situations. Before that season, their pressure rate had hovered in the 20s since at least 2020.
But before the regular season gets underway, Thomas is focused on digesting the Chiefs’ playbook and adjusting to life one week after being drafted.
“It was pretty crazy,” he said of draft night. “To be honest, I thought time was going to freeze for a second, but it just kept on going. I really didn’t even realize that I was a Chief, because I was looking at the fourth through seventh round.
“The Chiefs picked up somebody (and) I’m like, ‘Oh, I wonder how that looks.’
“Well, I’ll be there with them.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 8:10 PM.
