The Colts need some juice and explosiveness off the Edge. R Mason Thomas is more than happy to provide that. Could a late 2025 injury cause the Sooners Edge Rusher to fall to the Colts?
Measurables
- 6‘2 Height
- 249 lb. Weight
2025Stats
- 28 Pressures (14.6% Pressure Rate)
- 20.2% Pass Rush Win Rate
- 3 QB Hits
- 6.5 Sacks
- 90.3 Pass Rush Grade
- 14 Solo Tackles
- 5 Assist Tackles
- 4 Missed Tackles (17. 4%)
- 19 Run Stops
- 1 Forced Fumble
- 1 Fumble Recovery
- 1 Touchdown
- 5 Penalties
Awards/Accolades
- First Team All SEC (2025)
- All American Second Team (2025)
- Bednarik Award Semi-Finalist (2025)
- Second Team All SEC (2024)
Strengths
- High Level Athlete. Has impressive speed, agility, bend, and burst combined with surprising upper body strength. Enables the finesse in his game to shine and the power in his game to take tackles off guard for a smaller Edge Rusher.
- Pass Rush Variety. Thomas displays a variety of moves and paths to the QB on tape. His Speed to Power stands out first with a bull rush, followed by the Duck-Under (Ghost technique) counter if that doesn’t work initially. His spin move inside and outside is nice as well. He is able to use chops and rips well to gain separation from blockers, with some occasional swim moves as well.
- Motor stands out, constantly driving his legs in bull rushes, playing with physicality in the run, and hustling in pursuit.
- Plays with a natural low pad level and uses it to his advantage in pass and run plays, able to get under and around blockers.
Weaknesses
- Lower body anchor is below average, limiting his impact on run downs with edge setting against down blockers
- Lacks length, will consistently not be first to engage against blockers if his hands aren’t quick. Hurts his ability to block shed against the run especially.
- Injury History, 2 High Ankle Sprains in 2020 (got surgery in 2021) and 2023, affecting both ankles. Torn deltoid in 2020 (got surgery in 2021). Quad and hamstring injury in 2025 during 70+ yard fumble recovery TD (seen earlier), missing several games. Was able to return from injury for last game vs Alabama, getting 3 Pressures on 23 Pass Rush Snaps (13%).
Draft Projection
Round 1-2 Grade
Do you like undersized speed rushers with elite athleticism, bend, and a strong array of pass rush moves and counters? Many modern names come to mind with this archetype of pass rusher: Micah Parsons, Nik Bonitto, Haason Reddick, Will McDonald IV, Nolan Smith, Josh Uche; many of which I had very highly on my predraft boards (ask my college roommates how upset I was that Reddick went just 2 picks before the Colts in 2017, there is video evidence that haunts our group chat even now). Because for Colts fans this archetype brings one name to mind:
Former Alabama A&M Defensive End Robert Mathis, the Colts all time sack leader.
Call me sentimental, but I miss having an edge rusher who jumps off the line at the snap like he’s got a rocket in his posterior, gets low on the outside shoulder, spins around, and has a bull rush that surprises linemen. Yearning for yesteryear aside, the Colts also still need this archetype on their current team.
With just Laiatu Latu (technician who is in between finesse and power builds and tries to win every way) and JT Tuimoloau (power rusher who struggled to earn snaps as a rookie) under contract in 2026, the Colts need some extra juice on the edge. While the position likely will be addressed in Free Agency as well, the need for a young pass rusher who can get to the QB constantly and quickly remains paramount. As far as his weaknesses on the field go, there is a relatively easy way to address it: don’t play him on run downs. Let him be situational, use and edge rusher rotation and let him play the snaps that put him in the best position to succeed. This has the added benefit of keeping both him and the linemen he is rotating with fresh and maintain their stamina throughout a game and a season.
R Mason Thomas was ranked 29th on my initial Big Board Top 100 Rankings, with a Round 1-2 Grade. The odds he makes it to the Colts aren’t great, but they aren’t 0 as draft falls can happen. Despite his upside as a pass rusher, the red flags in the run game and his injury history are real enough to give some teams pause. He most likely goes off the board late Round 1 or early Round 2, but if teams are scared off there is a chance he could fall to the 40s. Should the Colts either get extremely lucky or add extra draft capital to trade up with, Thomas is on the short list of players they could look to get aggressive to acquire.
He did accept a Senior Bowl invite and can boost or hurt his stock with his practice performances. In Mobile he needs to prove he is healthy and ready for the pre-draft process to be able to fully show off his explosiveness. If he does so, he can secure his first round status. If he doesn’t, then the questions mount.
Category: General Sports
