Chiefs fans immediately loved R Mason Thomas and will adore him even more the more they learn

Oklahoma edge rusher R Mason Thomas is a Kansas City Chief, and Chiefs Kingdom immediately loved their newest addition.

The Chiefs on Friday night selected Thomas with the 40th overall pick in the second round as the first Sooner off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. He was the seventh edge rusher already to go in the draft while ranked as the No. 11 prospect at the position, according to ESPN.

R Mason Thomas headed to Kansas City as Sooners' 1st 2026 NFL Draft pick

Thomas was also a fan-favorite of Sooner Nation during his four years at OU. He especially won the fan base over last year when he not only returned for his senior season instead of the NFL, but rejected numerous NIL offers from other programs of what head coach Brent Venables said was “well over seven figures” to remain a Sooner. Chiefs fan will love to hear about that loyalty as Thomas was a rare breed nowadays that spent his entire college career at the same school.

He will get to Kansas City with a ton of college football experience under his belt, including two seasons in the SEC. Thomas appeared in 42 games for the Sooners after immediately getting playing time as a freshman and made 20 starts as a two-year starter.

Thomas was still second for the Sooners with 6.5 sacks while missing the last three games of the regular season last year while leading one of the best pass rushes in college football. He also recorded 26 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Thomas named First-Team All-SEC despite missing time after being on the second team in 2024.

Even the play where Thomas was injured will win more fans over. He recovered a fumble and hurt his hamstring during the run, but still drug a would-be tackler before hobbling into the end zone for a touchdown that set the tone for the massive road victory over Tennessee.

Chiefs fans' admiration will only grow for Thomas the longer he's in Kansas City, which is hard to imagine considering how pumped they already were after the pick.

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