There is one person on the Bills coaching staff who has all the information needed to evaluate R Mason Thomas. Jay Valai, the Bills new cornerbacks coach, was the defensive coordinator for the University of Oklahoma last season and Thomas was one of his best weapons.
Thomas was a four star recruit and ranked 20th best player in the state of Florida after being part of back to back state championship teams at Cardinal Gibbons high school in Ft. Lauderdale.
He originally committed to iowa State but changed his mind and spent his entire college career in Norman, Oklahoma. Thomas was a rotational defensive end in 2022 and 2023 before having a breakthrough season in 2024 as a starter.
He was named second team All SEC and his nine sacks were 20th most in the nation. He improved to first team all conference last season. The 6'2", 249 pounder did miss 13 games over his Sooners career but was very productive when he did play.
In 42 career games, the Ft. Lauderdale native recorded 25.5 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three pass breakups. Oklahoma fans nicknamed him "The Closer" because of the number of sacks he had that sealed Sooners victories.
Thomas, who ran track in high school and competed in the 100, 200 and 400 meters, was clocked at 4.67 in the 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine in February.
Thomas' father Harvey played football too. He was a defensive end for the University of Florida in the early 1990's.
Joe Marino provides draft analysis for WGR. Check out his website, thejoemarino.com and subscribe to his Locked On Bills podcast. Here are Joe's thoughts on Thomas.
Positives:
Explosive and flexible. This guy is really loose throughout his whole frame, the ankles, the hips, the upper body. If you're looking for a guy that can run around blockers, I mean, this guy can do it, and I love how he reduces angles.
There are players that can pass rush and reduce angles with power and get through. This guy reduces angles with how quickly he can get by you. He plays with really low pads, which I think helps his overall profile as a not very big player. He's got a really, really hot motor, so his pursuit effort is consistently outstanding. If the Bills were looking for that bursty, bendy guy, this guy would really fit. Certainly there's familiarity with him and the Bills corners coach, Jay Valai, who was the co-defensive coordinator for the last few years in Oklahoma.
Negatives:
He's missing length and mass. We've got this new profile, a pass rusher that we're trying to figure out. It's like Micah Parsons syndrome. He's become this 250-ish pound pass rusher with sub 31 inch arms and, is he a unicorn or is he just the start of a new prototype? I think we're trying to figure that out.
I think Micah Parsons opens the door for a guy like R. Mason Thomas but, can guys that lack mass and length truly be highly impactful players? I think we have to learn that with R Mason Thomas so that missing length and masses notable.
I think he's a guy that really does rely on the athleticism and physical traits and less on hand usage and technique. He needs to develop our rush variety. In college, you can just out athlete everybody, but in the NFL, there's a technical piece that's going to be required. He's going to have to develop that to really maximize this athletic profile that has made him very effective rushing the passer at the college level.
The NFL draft will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
Edge should be a priority for the Bills in the upcoming draft. R Mason Thomas has a Buffalo Bills connection.
