By MATT PIKE
After trading their third round pick to the Cleveland Browns on night one of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs entered night two with one lone pick in the second round.
With that second round pick, at pick No. 40, the Chiefs again added to their rebuilding defense drafting Oklahoma edge rusher R Mason Thomas, shoring up a position that lost Charles Omenihu to free agency and released Mike Danna to free up cap space.
Thomas spent his first two years at Oklahoma dealing with high-ankle sprains to both ankles in back-to-back seasons, which limited him to a combined 19 games and 1.5 sacks as a younger player. However, when he finally got healthy, as a junior in 2024, he made up for lost time fast with nine sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss, earning him All-SEC honors. Last year, Thomas dealt with more injury concerns but remained productive for the Sooners on the field. He had 6.5 sacks and was named first-team All-SEC and a second-team All-American, with a quad injury cutting his season short.
Thomas will be given every opportunity to contribute with the Chiefs' depth chart at defensive end thinner than anyone would like to see coming into the draft. George Karlaftis is the only sure thing, making edge rusher a big need. Thomas also now gives the Chiefs another young option to pair with Ashton Gillotte to begin to building a stronger array of pass-rushing weapons.
The Chiefs now have four more draft choices awaiting them. While they are not scheduled to make another pick on day two, there is the possibility of trading back into the rounds. The Chiefs' remaining draft picks are now:
- Round 4, No. 109 overall
- Round 5, No. 169 overall
- Round 5, No. 176 overall
- Round 6, No. 210 overall
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