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The Raiders drafted Fernando Mendoza with the first pick in the draft. In round two, Las Vegas selected Treydan Stukes, a safety out of Arizona. General manager John Spytek took the gamble on Jermod McCoy, the first-round talent that fell to round four because of injury concerns.
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But none of those headliners played with the starters on the first day of training camp. One rookie that did was Hezekiah Masses.
The Raiders selected Masses in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He was the 175th overall pick and the eighth player the Raiders chose in the draft. But on the first day of training camp, Masses was one of the starting cornerbacks.
Hezekiah Masses runs with Raiders first-team defense
Last year at Cal, Masses led the country with 18 passes defended. He posted five interceptions and 13 pass breakups. The corner made plays on the ball in every game.
It was a breakout season for Masses. In his previous three years at Florida Atlantic, he had just two interceptions and 12 pass breakups across 36 games. He was not a noteworthy ballhawk as a Panther.
But Masses impressed the coaching staff enough in rookie minicamp and OTAs to get the initial crack with the first team defense. Eric Stokes, who signed a three-year, $30 million deal in the offseason, is locked in as one starting corner. But the other spot is open for competition.
The Raiders have limited defensive talent
That Masses could be a starting cornerback for the Raiders is also an indictment on the roster. Las Vegas doesn’t have much proven talent in the secondary. Even Stokes has just one season of high-level play to his name.
Decamerion Richardson and Darien Porter are still on their rookie contracts, but neither one has had a good start to their NFL careers. The Raiders did make one addition at corner in the offseason, but Taron Johnson will line up as the nickel corner, leaving at least one corner spot open for Masses or anyone else to claim.
If Masses turns into an average NFL cornerback, it will be a huge success for the Raiders front office. Finding any value in the fifth round will make the rebuild quicker and more successful. But it is still a rebuild, as evidenced by a fifth-round rookie potentially starting in Week 1.
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This story was originally published July 30, 2026 at 6:43 AM.