R Mason Thomas Explains Why Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo and Oklahoma HC Brent Venables Are 'The Same Person'

There was no doubt that the Kansas City Chiefs needed to add a noteworthy defensive end early in the 2026 NFL Draft. The team had more questions and answers at the position, so the fact that general manager Brett Veach used the No. 40 overall pick on an edge defender was not shocking.

The player they chose, however, was a bit of a surprise.

Early in the second round, the Chiefs selected Oklahoma Sooners defensive end R Mason Thomas, a speedy pass rusher who brings a unique gear to a Chiefs' defensive line that often relies on size and power at the position.

What will the Chiefs be getting from Thomas' skill set, and how will his tools translate at the next level?

On Saturday, after his first practice of training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, Thomas spoke to the media and connected the dots between his collegiate career and his new leader in the pros.

Peter Woods and R Mason Thomas working for the #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/9W9bZXM1NX
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) July 25, 2026

Thomas joins defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's unit in Kansas City after completing his collegiate career under head coach Brent Venables at the University of Oklahoma. When asked about the differences between what was asked of him at OU and what he's working on for KC, Thomas said Spagnuolo and Venables have a lot in common.

"I think it's similar," Thomas said. "I think Coach V and Coach Spags [are] the same person. It's actually crazy. I was just talking to Coach V about that. They're aggressive, they have similar calls, so I think the terminology here is the difference. Some things that Coach V says that they [Chiefs coaches] say mean something different, so you've just got to rep it."

How does Thomas see that overlap between Spagnuolo and Venables helping him work into the starting lineup quickly for Kansas City?

"I think the muscle memory, since I did it for four years, all you have to do is learn that terminology, and then your body kind of naturally does it sometimes," Thomas said. "Sometimes they ask me to do things that they haven't progressed in their teaching to tell me, but I already did it because it felt natural [from] doing it for four years."

When asked about an area he'd like to improve as his NFL career begins, Thomas said he'd like to increase his power while also explaining why he sees his technique as the foundation for what he hopes to build.

"I think technique outweighs the weight room a little bit," Thomas said. "Because you can have all this—you can be Hercules, and then you don't bring your feet underneath yourself, you're falling down, your splits are too wide—technique kind of saves you when you may not be the 'ideal strength,' so I think that's the difference between, like, a six-inch step and a 10-inch step, those things like that."

When building his technique and the details of his game, which NFL players has Thomas studied while developing for the professional level?

"Nik Bonitto," Thomas said quickly, referencing the Denver Broncos pass rusher who also hails from Oklahoma. "That's going to be my No. 1 answer for a long time. Nik Bonitto is the one; [he's] one of the reasons I went to OU. Guys that fit my stature: Von Miller, Micah Parsons, Dallas Turner, Dwight Freeney. So, looking at those guys and seeing what they do, what works for them, but then also knowing that I'm my own person and [that] everything might not work for me, so I make it my own game."

Thomas' stature makes him a bit of an outlier for Spagnuolo's defense, as Thomas doesn't have the usual size measurables of some of the Chiefs' more typical choices on the edge. As Jordan Foote of Chiefs On SI noted after Kansas City selected Thomas, the former Sooner has less weight on his frame and shorter arms compared to "more traditional 4-3 defensive end types," but that comes with extra speed for a Chiefs defense that needs more explosion.

R Mason Thomas is a DE prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 7.23 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 622 out of 2239 DE from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/ibdez26WBU pic.twitter.com/NIh8HffysC
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 4, 2026

With the Chiefs' recent roster history in mind, how does Thomas see himself fitting in Spagnuolo's rotation?

"I think [with] what Coach V has done and instilled in me, with Coach Spags being similar, and then what Coach Spags said—I don't know if I quoted him verbatim, but he was like, 'I don't think I have a typical guy, I like football players.' So I think that's what it is. Good football players and just getting the job done."

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