Every team has types. Under Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell, the Lions have typically valued bigger defensive ends. That could lead them toward an edge rusher like Keldric Faulk of Texas A&M or Akheem Mesidor of Miami in the first round of the draft.
But if they're willing to concede some size for more speed up front, "R Mason Thomas is another one where that would be kind of a Lions pick," said NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. And they could probably wait until Day 2 of the draft to take him.
"I think most people view him as a second-round pick, but he’s such a good player, he plays with energy and power, he plays with burst, he’s got an edge to him, he’s someone who could climb up in the process. And as I’m staring at it and looking at it, that actually looks like a Lions-type player," Jeremiah said.
Thomas spent four seasons at Oklahoma, totaling 15.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss his last two years. He's smaller than the Lions might like at 6'2, 250, but when teams question his frame, "I tell 'em an equation," Thomas said with a grin, "I tell 'em mass times acceleration equals force."
"I'm not a 280 guy, I’m not a 265 guy, I’m a 250 guy. So all I need to do is generate some more speed to generate more force," he said. "A guy who’s 280 that can generate force taking one step in the ground, I can generate the same amount of force but I may have to take three or four steps. Less weight, more speed, that’s all."
And those "first three steps to the top of the rush," says NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein, "are fast and furious."
Thomas could give Detroit's front seven some needed juice opposite Aidan Hutchinson. The Lions' sack total last season was impressive -- tied for fourth in the NFL with 49 -- but their defense was one of the slowest in the league based on time to quarterback pressure and time for the quarterback to throw.
The edge rushers that Thomas aims to emulate are Micah Parsons, Von Miller, Dallas Turner, "anybody that fits my prototype," he said. "But the big one is Nik Bonitto. I watched him a lot."
A fellow Oklahoma product who's listed at 6'3, 240, Bonitto was a second-round pick of the Broncos four years ago and has grown into one of the top pass-rushers in the NFL. His 27.5 sacks over the past two seasons are second most in the league.
"He plays with speed, he plays with his hair on fire, and he’s starting to do the speed to power, too," said Thomas. "You see a guy who wants to get around you on the edge, but then he’ll go through your face. So I see a lot of that (in me)."
Thomas wants to make one thing clear: While he considers pass-rushing his strength, he doesn't necessarily consider it his speciality. He sees himself as "dominant in the run game, too." He resists the label DPR -- designated pash-rusher -- because "I want to be that overall guy."
"People say, like, DPR to come in on third down. Who wants to come in on just third down?" Thomas said. "I want to be in that run game, too."
Thomas, for the record, has not met with the Lions in Indy, but that's not to say that they're not interested in him. They've certainly done their homework, and could always have him in for a pre-draft visit. He might not fit their type at first glance, but he has the explosiveness, burst and attitude that every good defense needs.
"The big thing is, when you get a sack, why not get a sack again?" Thomas said. "It’s hard to walk, it’s hard to jog, it’s hard to sprint — so you might as well sprint. It’s hard to play every play fast, physical, violent, but that’s just the job and I love doing it."