The Las Vegas Raiders have re-signed Eric Stokes, and made a trade with the Buffalo Bills for Taron Johnson. Darien Porter is in line for a bigger role in his second season, and Decamerion Richardson still has potential a new coaching staff could tap into.
But the saying "you can never had too many cornerbacks" applies in today's NFL, with nickel being the base defensive formation around the league. So, the position will surely be somewhere on the draft radar for the Raiders the board falls in way that makes sense, as it should be.
Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine believes that Calfiornia cornerback Hezekiah Masses should be on Las Vegas' radar on Day 3, as he'd be the perfect fit for their new defense.
"At 6'1", 179 pounds, Hezekiah Masses' biggest drawback is size. He has a thin frame that's going to scare some NFL teams.The lack of mass does come into play when he's tackling at times, but his coverage ability will be a major reason a team like the Raiders considers him later in the draft," Ballentine wrote. "B/R scout Daniel Harms is big on Masses ability to cover with physicality despite his size. He has great technique on the boundary, carrying vertical routes while using the sideline and his hands to guide receivers. Stays in the hip pocket and plays physically throughout the route. The Raiders need plenty of help at cornerback. Masses would give them another young name to add to the competition."
Hezekiah Masses should be on the Raiders' radar late in the 2026 draft
Masses spent the first three seasons of his college career at Florida International before transferring to Cal for his final season. The step up in level of competition was not too much for him, as he had five interceptions and 13 pass breakups with 81.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus last season.
As last season went along, Masses became someone opposing teams avoided targeting. Over the first five games, he had four interceptions and seven pass breakups as he was targeted a total of 29 times (and 24 times over the first three, per PFF). Over his final six games, he was targeted 18 times.
At the Senior Bowl, he didn't put together his best showing. But Masses did take some time at the event to speak to our own Levi Dombro about how his move from the Group of Five to the Power 4 will help his transition to the NFL.
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"The G5 (Group of 5) level was a great experience for me," Masses said. "I got on the field early...then when I moved to P4 (Power 4) the game kinda slowed down for me."
Masses was primarily an outside corner in college, and his skill set as a cover man fortifies that's where he best fits in the NFL. An NFL nutrition and workout program should foster him adding needed weight to his frame, and his ball skills are rare.
The Raiders need playmakers in their secondary, now and down the road. A late-round flier on Masses could pay off very nicely.