The Raiders have been looking for answers at cornerback for years, and going into the 2026 season it seems like they will have as many viable options as they have had in decades.
For now, Eric Stokes is at the top of the Raiders’ depth chart at cornerback and the 27-year-old CB signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the team in March.
Behind Stokes, though, are at least three viable options competing for playing time at cornerback.
Darien Porter was a third-round pick in 2025, and the first defensive player drafted by GM John Spytek in his tenure as Raiders’ GM. Whether or not Porter was more of a Pete Carroll pick, we might never know, but with his size, speed and length, there’s no question the former Iowa State star has tremendous upside.
After Porter, the Raiders drafted two cornerbacks in April, and both could figure into the lineup sooner than later.
Jermod McCoy was arguably the most talented cornerback in this year’s draft, but details around the knee injury he suffered 16 months ago, caused McCoy to drop to the fourth round.
McCoy did not participate in OTAs (at least not while members of the media were present), but if he’s healthy, McCoy has as much career upside as any defensive back on the Raiders’ roster.
Hezekiah Masses, the other rookie cornerback, reportedly stood out during OTAs and has already been labeled as a potential steal of the draft. All signs suggest that the fifth-round selection from California has been among the team’s most pleasant surprises of the offseason.
Which of the Raiders young cornerbacks will emerge behind Stokes?
It’s still early, but The Athletic’s Sam Warren believes Porter is still the favorite to win the starting job across from Stokes.
“Porter saw his first chances to start at the end of his rookie season in 2025. General manager John Spytek said in April that he was pleased with the third-round corner’s performance in those opportunities and that he’d had a “great offseason so far.” It all sounded like Porter was in line to be the starter opposite Stokes, but when minicamp came in June, his standing looked less certain,” Warren reported this week.
“Porter handled all first-team reps with Stokes during OTAs. He looked to be, as Spytek described, a physical corner poised to take a jump between Years 1 and 2. But during minicamp, he began to rotate with Masses, standing on the sidelines as the fifth-round rookie took his reps. Porter is still the favorite to start at corner with Stokes. But with the selections of McCoy and Masses, it’s clear the Raiders want competition.”
x: @raidersbeat