The Chiefs are betting that R Mason Thomas can grow into the kind of edge rusher who belongs on a top-10 list.
That’s the target after Kansas City used the second round of the draft on the Oklahoma pass rusher, who is being brought in as the team’s edge-rushing specialist. The Chiefs spent their first three picks addressing the pass rush, and Thomas is the centerpiece of that plan. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently ranked the top ten edge rushers, and Kansas City didn’t have anyone on the list.
Thomas arrives with plenty of upside, but not much polish. He’s described as a raw talent with exceptional athletic ability, and he’s been called a “missile” coming off the edge. Still, the Chiefs know they’re taking a calculated swing here, and they’re backing it up with help around him.
That support started with defensive tackle Peter Woods of Clemson, who was taken in the late first round. The hope is that Woods can help keep Chris Jones from facing constant double teams inside, giving Jones more chances to collapse the pocket from the middle. Kansas City also added cornerback Mansoor Delane near the top of the draft, with the idea that a shutdown corner can buy the pass rush a few extra seconds to finish the job.
Thomas’ biggest issue is pretty clear: he can get too wide too fast and end up overshooting the quarterback. When that happens, he can lose his place on the edge and drift out of the play.
For the Chiefs, the key will be whether he can clean that up, make faster decisions, and process the action around him without hesitation. That’s where Steve Spagnuolo comes in, and there may not be a better teacher for that job than Kansas City’s veteran defensive coordinator.
The challenge gets even more real inside the AFC West. Two division rivals showed up on Fowler’s list, with Denver’s Nik Bonitto landing at No. 10 and Las Vegas’ Maxx Crosby all the way up at No.
- For the Chiefs, that makes the pursuit of an elite edge presence feel even more urgent.
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