The NFL can oftentimes be cyclical, especially regarding draft picks. Once certain players progress from being unproven to proven, they're either replaced or supported by more long-term projects. The Kansas City Chiefs have taken both avenues this offseason. On the scarier end, general manager Brett Veach traded cornerback Trent McDuffie away and added Mansoor Delane in April's 2026 NFL Draft. On the more common front, he acquired the services of defensive end R Mason Thomas to inject talent into a room that also has preexisting multi-year cornerstone George Karlaftis.If everything goes according to plan, Thomas could one day assume a starting role opposite Karlaftis. He has plenty to learn, however, if he wants to climb up the ranks.The good news for him is that Karlaftis has been there before. While it isn't the fifth-year man's obligation to help his first-year peer progress, he's embracing that leadership role as someone who's benefitted from it in the past. “When I was a rookie, Frank Clark gave me some tips that have really helped me out throughout my career so far, and I’m really thankful that I’ve had great vets," Karlaftis said. "Now I’m starting to reach that role. I’m only 25 — I feel old in here — but yeah, I had great vets. Carlos (Dunlap), Frank, Chris (Jones), obviously. Those guys helped me a lot, just seeing keys and how I can improve offseason training and all that kind of stuff, too."Karlaftis believes if there's anything he can do to assist Thomas in reaching his potential, he'll do so. Alongside first-round defensive tackle Peter Woods, the Oklahoma product could offer some serious athleticism along a line that needs it."R Mason, he’s got a lot of juice," Karlaftis said. "He has a body type that we really haven’t had as much of around here. He’s very fluid, he’s very athletic, he’s very explosive, he loves football, he’s trying to learn right now and he’s trying to prove himself. Him and all the rookies, they’re great. Like I said before, they have bright, bright futures here.”Thomas, who came into the NFL Draft standing just 6-foot-2 and weighing 241 pounds, is certainly an off-speed pitch and doesn't represent what coordinator Steve Spagnuolo typically opts for. The positive spin on that, though, is that he'll diversify the team's pass rush plan.Quality production from Thomas in 2024 and 2025 is all over his tape. On top of that, tracking data from Pro Football Focus adds even more context; he racked up 62 pressures across those two campaigns. Last year, among all EDGE players with 150-plus pass rush snaps, he sat 18th in grade (90.4) and 19th in win rate (20.3%).In 2025-26, the Kansas City defensive end rotation was very underwhelming, and that was with Mike Danna and Charles Omenihu. Both have since left for other teams on new one-year deals, leaving Karlaftis as the veteran in the room at 25 years young. Now he's the one playing that role, having known for quite a while what it looks like.Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow