From suffering its first losing season in 25 years to struggling to protect quarterback Jackson Arnold behind a shaky offensive line, the Sooners have fallen short of expectations. Oklahoma under Brent Venables has regressed with 2 losing seasons and a record (22-17) that is not quite synonymous with Oklahoma’s stature. But this year, one of Brent Venables’ key players is returning, and his talent is already being noticed in prominent NFL circles.
Well, we are talking about Oklahoma’s stalwart defensive lineman, R Mason Thomas, who is returning for his final season in 2025 and is bringing an NFL-caliber talent. Last year, after getting his breakthrough season, where he notched up 23 tackles and a whopping 9 sacks, in his senior year, he’s looking like a real deal. However, not everyone agreed with that, and Connor Rogers of NBC Sports dubbed him the 16th-ranked edge rusher, going into the 2026 NFL draft. But support came quickly for Mason Thomas.
Trevor Sikkema, an NFL draft analyst for PFF, sat with Rogers on the July 4th episode of ‘NFLStockExchange’ and placed Thomas as the 2nd-ranked edge rusher in the 2026 draft, and also provided his reasoning. “I think he is a designated pass rusher in the NFL, but I think that he can be an absolutely devastating one. I think that his pre-snap technique and his stance are picture-perfect. He is low, and he is loaded to the ground. Zero falls-steps out of his game, and he explodes out of his stance off that front foot,” said Sikkema.
Sikkema acknowledged that there may be some concerns with Thomas when looking at a conventional viewpoint, as he said, “he’s got a smaller frame obviously.” However, according to Sikkema, the smaller frame (6’2″ and 239 lbs) can help him dominate in situations and have some pros associated with it. For instance, in “pound-for-pound” situations, Sikkema dubbed Thomas to be “pretty strong.” As for R Mason Thomas’s talent, he’s brimming with it.
Even if one excludes his last season with Brent Venables, the upsides he brings with him are still quite polished. For instance, his lower center of gravity due to his shorter frame helps him win those rushing moves despite not having a long arm’s reach. Also, his athletic background in high school, where he ran 100, 200, and 400-meter events, gives him that added athleticism that’s required to succeed in the NFL. And that’s exactly what he is going to offer in his final season at Oklahoma.
Brent Venables’ 2025 season tied with R Mason Thomas’s success?
Entering the 2025 season, R Mason Thomas would be the leader in the D line and carry high expectations for the team. Even ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg ranked him amongst the top non-QB playmakers and placed him at 39th overall in his top 50 players. It’s also to be noted that he will have with him mostly past-season returners, including Damonic Williams and Jayden Jackson, so in terms of chemistry, his development is looking quite optimistic. And that’s another reason why Sikkema concluded with his final take.
” I’ve got him at number two just because I was so impressed with the athlete that he is for the position. So, as a one-dimensional designated guy, is he going to remain number two in my rankings? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll have him a little lower, but I could not love the speed elements of his game more. And so I just am so all in on, yes, is it one-dimensional? 100%,” said Sikkema.
Brent Venables is going into the 2025 season with high expectations and mounting pressure. The head coach has got himself a new offensive coordinator in young Ben Arbuckle and brought in John Mateer from Washington State. Apart from that, Venables is also bringing the defensive production as the defense was ranked 19th nationally, with Venables himself taking over the defensive play calling. All of these developments do provide optimism. But despite all of this, there would be doubts considering his past track record in Oklahoma.
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