Meet R Mason Thomas, Chiefs' draft pick with unique name

Meet R Mason Thomas, Chiefs' draft pick with unique name originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

R Mason Thomas is the newest member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

They drafted the edge rusher from Oklahoma with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, early in the second round on Friday night.

Thomas has a unique name, and a strong game.

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What is R Mason Thomas' real name?

That is his real name, just like that.

The 'R' doesn't stand for anything.

This is how Thomas once explained it:

“It doesn’t stand for anything. Some people put a period there (after the R). My first name is R Mason. There’s a space in between the capital R and the capital M. My mom didn’t want me to be an R name, like Richard or Raymond. But on her side of the family, [there’s] a lot of R names. Her dad, her grandfather, my uncle, her brother, even his son’s name starts with an R. She didn’t want an R name, but she wanted to keep the R going, so she made it R Mason.”

Because it's just the letter, it really doesn't need a period after it, either, even if it looks odd hanging out there like that.