By all accounts, the Raiders are off to a great start in their first training camp with first-year head coach Klint Kubiak.
And while the national spotlight has been focused on Fernando Mendoza and the quarterback room in Las Vegas, there are a couple of young defensive players to keep an eye on as the season gets closer, too.
Raiders have a young DT to be excited about
According to Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer, second-year defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway has shown the potential to be an athletic game changer in the interior of the Raiders’ defensive line…
“2025 fourth-round pick Tonka Hemingway is emerging as a player to watch, with high-end natural athleticism that his college coaches and teammates at South Carolina told NFL folks about a couple years ago. He looks like he’s developing into a potential force as a 3-technique.”
Masses impressing, good news on McCoy’s Knee
Everyone has been talking about 5th-round pick Hezekiah Masses, but according to Breer, there is good news on Jermod McCoy, too.
McCoy might not be running with the first team (yet) like Masses, but Breer is hearing that McCoy’s surgically repaired knee held up well through the first four practices…
“Second-year man Darien Porter is battling two rookies to win the job. One is fourth-round pick Jermod McCoy, who may have been the first corner taken in April had it not been for a degenerative knee condition. He made it through the spring and now four camp practices without needing a day off to manage it, so there’s cautious optimism there.
But the one who has really surprised is fifth-round pick Hezekiah Masses, who has played his way into the competition. That’s great news when combined with flashes from guys like Benson and Hemingway, because Kubiak and GM John Spytek, above all else, need to continue to find and develop as much young talent as they can.”
It’s still early, but if Masses and McCoy continue to shine, the Raiders could end up with a much better cornerback room than anyone was talking about a month ago.
Preseason, of course, will be huge for the Raiders’ young secondary, and while the news cycle will probably be fixed on Mendoza over the next month, keep an eye on the new-look defense in Las Vegas because it’s shaping up to be a good one – with a few promising young players to be excited about.
x: @raidersbeat