In Round 5 of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders selected California cornerback Hezekiah "Zeke" Masses, which was a move that we had advocated for on several occasions before the event. After three solid campaigns at FIU, Masses burst onto the scene in his senior season at Cal.
And while fans are excited about the young player, and understandably so after a strong offseason, it is important to remember that Masses is still a Day 3 rookie. Eric Stokes is entrenched on one boundary, and Masses has to fend through Darien Porter and Jermod McCoy for defensive snaps.
Still, Masses was an underrated addition, and the team will be especially thankful that he's around if McCoy isn't healthy. Masses can play a role right away and, and he has a solid ceiling and floor for a late-round prospect. So, let's take a look at our high-end, low-end and realistic NFL comps for him.
NFL comps for Las Vegas Raiders rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses
High-end: Nohl Williams
Masses has some shades of Greg Newsome II and Jarrian Jones in his game, but he reminds me a lot of another former Cal CB in Nohl Williams. They have fairly similar builds, even if Masses is a bit longer and lighter, and they have a lot of the same traits athletically and on the field.
Both were productive in college and have solid enough frames to play on the boundary in the NFL, but neither is a freak athlete. They both had great ball production in college, recording plenty of pass breakups and interceptions, and they have great instincts, recognition, vision and mirroring ability.
Where both of these players struggle is with penalties. Neither has tremendous top-end speed, even if they have enough long speed to recover on plays. So, when they got beat in college or fell behind, they tended to grab and pull instead of trusting their technique and closing ability.
Their run support also isn't great, even if they are willing to help out. They just need to add some mass and work on tackling strength and fundamentals. Williams, however, looked very, very good in a rotational role as a rookie and could grow into more. I think Masses can do the same in the NFL.
Low-end: Mello Dotson
https://justblogbaby.com/raiders-highest-paid-rookie-free-agents-from-2025-were-money-down-the-drain
Dotson and Masses are practically clones of each other from a physical stature perspective, and their calling cards in college were getting takeaways. Again, neither has an elite build or high-end athletic ability, but their technique and football IQ kept them more than competitive in Power 4 football.
But Dotson got exposed a bit at the NFL level, failing to make it to training camp with the Raiders and not sticking elsewhere in the league. He couldn't make up for his physical limitations against NFL wideouts with solid form and great instincts or recognition.
Obviously, Masses is going to be there at training camp and could even play a big role right away. But in a doomsday scenario, he fizzles out with the team before too long. That is always an option with a fifith-rounder, even if Masses isn't your typical mid Day 3 pick.
Realistic: T.J. Tampa
It's hard to find a perfect comparison for Masses because it is unknown what kind of defense the Raiders will run and how he fits into it. But I could see Masses having a Tampa-like role in which he rotates in for 10 or so snaps a game on defense and plays a lot on special teams, at least to start.
Tampa didn't have quite the ball production that Masses did in college, but in his final two years, he still amassed three interceptions and 16 passes defended. He is a great hand striker like Masses and plays with great intelligence, instincts, poise and balance.
If Masses, as a fifth-rounder, can be a core special-teamer and carve out a smaller role on defense within the first two years, especially given who is ahead of him at the position, then that is a win for Las Vegas, and it is entirely realistic.
Other Raiders rookie class NFL comparisons:
Fernando Mendoza
Treydan Stukes
Keyron Crawford
Trey Zuhn III
Jermod McCoy
Mike Washington Jr.
Dalton Johnson
Malik Benson (Coming Soon)
Brandon Cleveland (Coming Soon)
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