Another day, another 2026 NFL mock draft. Fortunately for fans of the Indianapolis Colts, ESPN’s Matt Miller put out a two-rounder this week. The Colts do not have a pick in the first round of this year’s draft, and with so many early mocks focusing exclusively on round one, it leaves Indy fans out in the cold. But they do have a second-rounder, and so Miller makes a pick for them.
This new ESPN mock follows close on the heels of a similar two-rounder that appeared in The Athletic (subscription required) last week. As the pre-draft process plays out and teams gather more info about more prospects, you can expect the mock drafts to grow bigger as well. The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman had Chris Ballard choosing Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday in the second round.
Not surprisingly, Miller also has Ballard leaning toward defense – the Colts’ weaker side of the ball at this point. But instead of going with a linebacker, he has Ballard addressing a more glaring need with a more potentially high-impact player.
The Indianapolis Colts get an elite pass rusher in new mock draft
The player is Oklahoma edge rusher R Mason Thomas, and there are plenty of reasons to get excited about the possibility of the former Sooner wearing Colts’ blue in 2026.
Thomas is among the best pure pass rushers available in this year’s draft. He has piled up 15.5 sacks in 23 games over the past two seasons, to go along with 22 tackles-for-loss, three fumble recoveries, and two touchdowns. And he has done it against top-tier competition in the SEC.
His first step and his bend are elite. He has outstanding speed and change of direction. When he lines up in a two-point stance on the edge, he reminds me just a bit of Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas, the pass-rushing terror who made nine consecutive Pro Bowls in the 1990s.
When he moves a few feet inside and gets down in a three-point stance, he shows unexpected strength given his size. His combination of raw power and agility allows him to bounce off bigger linemen who find it hard to get a clean shot on him in the trenches.
Thomas is likely to slip down draft boards for two reasons – his size and concerns about his durability.
At 6’2”, 249 pounds, Thomas is built more like a linebacker, and it will be interesting to see if an NFL defensive coordinator experiments with him playing off the line. He appears to have the lateral agility to make the move. But at his best, Thomas is an attacking player.
He does not have the length of a classic edge, but his quickness helps offset his shorter arms. He covers a lot of ground on the edge.
The injuries are a different matter. He has missed time in three of his four college seasons. None of the injuries were long-term, but they hit three different lower body areas (both ankles and a hamstring) and caused him to miss several games.
One of the most interesting aspects of this projected pick concerns what happened last year in round two of the draft. Just before Indy’s pick, the Dallas Cowboys chose Donovan Ezeiruaku, an edge from Boston College. Ballard then selected Ohio State’s JT Tuimoloau.
Ezeiruaku is a very similar player to Thomas. They are virtually the same size, and both have had to overcome the thought that they are too small to be effective edge rushers. Ezeiruaku came on rather nicely for Dallas as the season went on, while the bigger Tuimoloau struggled all year long.
If Miller proves prescient, Ballard may get a do-over with Thomas.
As happened in the Athletic mock draft, Texas Tech defensive tackle Lew Hunter went a few spots after the Colts chose Thomas. And as I said at the time, I would take Hunter over Jake Golday in a heartbeat.
Hunter is now coming off a strong Senior Bowl week, and I find it hard to believe that he will remain in the middle of the second round much longer. But were he available, I would choose him over Thomas as well.
But I do like the Thomas pick. It’s a bit of a gamble – more due to durability than to size. But his injuries have not raised major red flags and his upside is outstanding, especially as a pass rusher. The Colts are in real need of a front-seven playmaker to pair with Laiatu Latu. Thomas is a very good candidate.