How Hezekiah Masses Could Become Raiders 2026 Surprise

One player I've been keen on during training camp is fifth-round cornerback Hezekiah Masses, who has been turning heads lately. For a team looking for playmakers and a defense that has undergone a rebuild this offseason, the Raiders may receive a nice surprise this season from their first-year defensive back.

Masses' Skill Set Provides Ample Intrigue

Heading into the regular season, we can surely expect Darien Porter and Eric Stokes to be the Week 1 starters at cornerback. The depth behind them features some unique and flashy talents such as Jermod McCoy and Masses. General manager John Spytek has an eye for the future with his two rookie corners, but at some point this season, it could be Masses who becomes a welcome surprise.

A few months ago, I wrote my draft review on Masses and what I saw from his Cal Golden Bears days. This is an instinctive corner who can play in multiple coverage shells because of his innate feel for spacing, route-pattern recognition, and a quick read-and-react ability that allows him to close on the ball rapidly.

Masses Receives High Praise and High-Level Comparison

Masses' defensive backs coach Joe Woods has seen these abilities firsthand during camp. What raised my eyebrows was the player comparison he made to Masses: five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, but he quickly clarified that he is still a long way from reaching that level.

"He can cover. I'm all about getting on the body just in terms of being tight whenever we play press," Woods told reporters on Monday. "He has that skill set. There’s some guys in the past that he reminds me of in terms of quickness, like Denzel Ward had that extreme lateral quickness where he can get on the body. He has that same type of trait. Not saying he's Denzel, he's got a long way to go, but there are some really good things that he's doing."

A key to Masses being one of the standouts is his confidence on the field. When you're a cornerback in the NFL playing at the highest level, the best of the best never lack confidence. Masses feels that has been a key part of his ability to compete with the best in camp.

"What I like so far about myself is just me just going out there, just playing confident," Masses said. "Just my team, just pushing me every day, and I'm just being the best version of myself."

Masses Proving Pre-Draft Critics Wrong During Camp

Coming out of Cal, one of the aspects of Masses' game that needed improvement was his technique and consistency. At six feet tall and 179 pounds, the rookie has a slender frame and doesn't have the longest arms you want in a prototypical player. Physicality was one of the bigger questions about his game coming out of college.

Both the consistency and physicality aspects have taken a step forward. That is music to Raider Nation's ears.

"I think just being consistent. Like I said, he's a very instinctive guy, so he sees a lot," Woods explained. "And you have to be careful coaching guys like that because he'll see something and the guy will be running free, 'Hey, you got to cover that guy, but great instinct'. So, I just think him getting comfortable, speed of the game, the type of quarterbacks that he's going to play against, but just not taking too many risks."

Masses is looking forward to showcasing his newfound physicality this preseason and is certainly not lacking confidence.

"Oh, yeah, I'm trying to take their head off," Masses said. "Yeah, that was a big issue, they said I can't tackle, so I'm going to show them. I'm going to show them very physical. I can do everything."

Why Masses Could Be Fun Raiders Surprise This Season

This is the type of player the Raiders and defensive coordinator Rob Leonard should be stoked to have on their roster. I said in May that it is okay that Masses is still an incomplete player, and despite what the player and his coach have said, there is still room to grow. What should comfort Raiders fans is the idea that the defensive backfield doesn't lose a step if Masses were to have significant playing time due to injury or inconsistent play from a starter.

On the latter note, Masses is unlocking a physical aspect of his game, while improving his technique and consistency in coverage could allow him to showcase the ball production that made him such an intriguing cornerback prospect. We'll have to see how the rest of the preseason and regular campaign pan out. Even so, Las Vegas should be excited about their potential fifth-round surprise at cornerback.