The Kansas City Chiefs selected Oklahoma linebacker R Mason Thomas with the No. 40 overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft. His name is not a typo.
R Mason’s first name is the letter R, then Mason.
NFL fans are going to be confused when they hear Thomas’ name called on a television broadcast for the first time. I hope this article helps to clear things up!
Who is R Mason Thomas?
As a native of Fort Lauderdale, Thomas was rated as a four-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2022. He ranked as the No. 22 player at his position and a top-200 player overall.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound edge rusher ultimately committed to play at Oklahoma over Iowa State, South Carolina, Miami, Indiana, LSU, Kentucky and Penn State, among others.
Thomas played well in a reserve role as a freshman and sophomore. He really burst onto the scene in 2024. The junior recorded 23 total tackles (13 solo) with 12.5 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks. Thomas followed it up with 26 total tackles (18 solo), 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks as a senior in 2025.
Kansas City selected the First Team All-SEC edge rusher with the No. 40 overall pick at the NFL Draft.
R Mason Thomas adds an instant boost of speed to the defensive front. Ashton Gillotte and George Karlaftis are dominant against the run. The Chiefs’ newest draft pick is the missing piece of the puzzle as a closer off the edge. They needed someone who can get to the quarterback on crucial passing downs.
What does the ‘R’ stand for?
When you look at the name R Mason Thomas, you might assume it is a typo. Or you might assume the ‘R’ is being used to represent a first name that he does not use, like Ryan or Robert.
For example, it would be like if his full legal name is Robert Mason Thomas but he primarily goes by his middle name, Mason. The R is just a stand-in.
Except that is not the case! The R does not stand for anything!
His legal first name is ‘R Mason.’ That is how it reads on his birth certificate. There is a space between the capital R and the capital M. R Mason Thomas.
As the story goes, Thomas’ mother did not want her son to be an R name like Richard or Raymond. However, there is a history of R names on her side of the family. Her father, grandfather, brother and nephew’s names start with an R. She wanted to keep the tradition going.
To do so — without naming her son with an actual complete R name — Thomas’ mother got creative. She named him Mason and threw an R in front. He always went by Mason growing up. No R.
“I used to not say the R, up until like junior year of high school,” Thomas told The Ref 1400 podcast. “I would just say Mason so if anybody calls me Mason, it’s because they knew me before junior year of high school. So really that’s when I said, ‘Let me stop saying that. I need to own my name.'”
That was the name called by the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 40 overall pick at the NFL Draft on Friday. R Mason Thomas. The R does not stand for anything! It is just an R that exists.