The New England Patriots need to upgrade their edge position for next season, and they’re likely to do it in the 2026 NFL Draft, with this being one of the deepest classes in the entire draft this year. With concerns about their top pass-rushers, Harold Landry coming off a lingering knee injury, and K’Lavon Chaisson, who is an unrestricted free agent, Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel, Eliot Wolf, acknowledged that the edge is a position of need during his press conference on Tuesday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
“It’s a fairly deep class at that position, that’s obviously an area of need for our team, so it matches nicely” Wolf said. He added what they’re looking for at the position: “Pass-rush, speed and violence, explosiveness, first-step quickness, and the ability to win in multiple ways. You can’t just be a run around the hoop guy at this level. There’s some guys in college that are able to be successful that way, but you need different things in your toolbox [in the NFL].”
Last year, the Patriots constructed the position with a specific model of players being over 250 lbs. to play the edge. Whether it was veteran additions in free agency or with rookies in the draft, all of New England’s edge players needed to fit that build to play the position for them.
- Harold Landry (6’2”, 252 lbs.)
- K’Lavon Chaisson (6’3”, 254 lbs.)
- Anfernee Jennings (6’2”, 255 lbs.)
- Bradyn Swinson (6’3”, 255 lbs.)
- Elijah Ponder (6’1”, 258 lbs.)
With the combine in full swing, there’s a player I believe would be a great addition to the team and a perfect fit for Vrabel’s defense, who could make an immediate impact: R Mason Thomas out of Oklahoma. However, he doesn’t exactly fit the measurables of the model I shared above on the desirable size for the position. Although Mason Thomas is 6’2”, he’s only 241 lbs. and is considered to be undersized for an edge in the NFL.
At the combine, Mason Thomas clocked 4.67s in the 40-Yard Dash with 1.63s 10-Yard splits, which was the ninth-fastest for all defensive ends. During an interview this week at the combine, Mason Thomas shared what he tells teams that say his size might cause problems for him at the next level.
“I tell them an equation, I say the little force equation. I tell them mass times acceleration equals force. So I’m not a 280 [lbs.] guy, I’m not a 265 [lbs.] guy, I’m a 250 [lbs.] guy. All I need to do is generate some more speed to generate more force. So a guy that is 280 [lbs.] that can generate force taking one step in the ground, I got to generate the same amount of force, but I might have to take three or four steps, so all it is is less weight, more speed, that’s all.”
The Patriots Should Target R Mason Thomas In The First Round Of The NFL Draft
Mason Thomas’ production during his four-year career speaks for itself. He finished with 65 tackles with 25.5 for a loss and 17 sacks in 42 games. He also posted a 15.4 percent pressure rate over the last two years on 63 pressures and 29 QB hits. In 2025, he was named a Second-Team All-American by the Associated Press and an All-SEC First Team, and a Second-Team selection by the coaches and Associated Press, respectively. Mason Thomas also finished as a finalist for the Bednarik Award, which is awarded to the best defensive player in college football.
Despite Mason Thomas’ size not meeting what New England typically wants for the edge position, he possesses all of the other attributes that Wolf described as the nonnegotiables for a prospect's qualifications. He’s physical and violent and can get to the quarterback in multiple ways. What stands out to me in Mason Thomas’ film is his ability to read the play while already engaged with an offensive lineman. He’s both fast and strong enough to change his course of action midplay, to make the necessary play.
There’s a play from last year against Tennessee where Mason Thomas was being blocked by a tight end, but he saw a fumble by the quarterback, and he was able to scoop it up with one hand while now stiff-arming that tight end away from him en route to scoring on a 71-yard fumble recovery. It may have been a lucky bounce that helped Mason Thomas, but his high-level awareness allowed him to make a play, and his overall athleticism to finish it.
As Wolf started the week at the combine by saying, the edge is a position that they need to upgrade. If Mason Thomas is still on the board when the Patriots are on the clock at the end of the first round (No. 31), there’s a high possibility he’ll be wearing a Patriots ballcap at the end of the night.