The Las Vegas Raiders invested heavily in the secondary during the 2026 NFL draft. They drafted two cornerbacks and 2 safeties to help solidify the backend of the defense heading into this season.
One of the players selected was Hezekiah Masses from the University of California. Masses was a playmaker for the Bears last season with four interceptions on the year. He excels in zone coverage and can make plays consistently, baiting quarterbacks with his understanding of concepts to help him play fast
on the field.
Masses started to heat up during OTA sessions, with him slowly eating into steps of presumed starter Darien Porter. Klint Kubiak challenged him to improve during summer break, and it appears the former California Bear answered the call.
On the first two three of training camp, Massess was running with the first team, with one report saying he was the first one on the field during team sessions.
If Massess can continue to excel during training camp, he could push his way into the starting lineup when the season starts in September. While the fall of Porter could cause another missed draft pick by the Silver and Black, the emergence of another draft pick could help ease the pain of Raiders fans.
