The Raiders went into the 2026 draft with a significant need at cornerback and despite not taking a cornerback until day 3 of the draft, GM John Spytek ended up getting two of the most intriguing cornerback prospects in the class.
Everyone knows about Jermod McCoy, and the tremendous upside McCoy has if he is able to stay healthy, but based on reports from OTAs last week, fifth-round pick Hezekiah Masses has been one of the most promising rookies of the offseason.
Just about every media personality covering the team has praised Masses in recent weeks, but a series of comments from Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter stood out on Monday.
Carpenter said he keeps hearing “more and more” good things about Masses and called the former University of California cornerback one of the Raiders’ biggest surprises of the offseason.
“None of what he does matters if it doesn’t translate into pads, but [Masses] was one of the biggest surprises coming out of mandatory minicamp,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“If the way he played in the offseason translates into pads, because remember, that was his biggest criticism, was his ability to finish tackles, if it translates, [he] could be the absolute steal of the draft.”
Going back to his time in college, the criticism of Masses was that he sometimes wasn’t physical enough.
“His questionable strength will be tested early and often against NFL power,” draft analyst Dane Brugler said about Masses prior to the draft.
But based on what has been reported in his first two months with the Raiders, Masses seems to have addressed his biggest criticism.
Raiders Insider was Surprised to Learn Masses wasn’t Physical in College
Last month, Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers shared a story on Masses, and a conversation he had with a media member who covered Masses in college.
“Seeing him at rookie minicamp. I remember talking to a couple of the colleagues on the side watching practice and saying, ‘Man, you know, Masses seems like he’s pretty physical. He seems like he’s a pretty physical guy,’” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show in May.
“It was so funny. I did like a player profile on him yesterday on my radio show and the guy that covered him at Cal was like, ‘Yeah, the only knock on him, he wasn’t very physical.’ And I was like, ‘Well, d—, from what I saw at camp, he looked like he was physical.’”
“But there’s no pads. They’re not tackling. So maybe that was the moment for him to be physical. Maybe that’s something for all of us to pay attention to. What does his level of physicality look like once the pads come on? … What is he willing to do? Is he just a ballhawk? Is he just a guy who is trying to cover you like a blanket? Or is he going to be willing to bring physicality to you as well? I think when it comes to Masses, I’m excited about him, but I want to see what element of his game he brings to the table.”
What is the Latest on Jermod McCoy?
McCoy wasn’t on the field at OTAs, but Myers said he doesn’t view McCoy’s absence as a cause for concern.
“Didn’t see Jamad McCoy [at OTAs]… Whenever I don’t see Jamad McCoy, I never really think twice about it because we know he’s on a plan to get him to the starting blocks,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast last week.
“They’re going to have him out there on the field a certain amount of time. They’re going to go through how many steps he takes every single day. There’s a full plan that Alex Guerrero and company has in place for Jermod McCoy. So whenever I don’t see him out there, I just figure it’s part of the plan. He’s working where he needs to be working and working himself to being able to participate.”
x: @raidersbeat