The Las Vegas Raiders' investment in the secondary was prevalent throughout the 2026 NFL Draft. John Spytek drafted 4 players to help fill the back end of the defense, hoping to build a strong core for the future.
A player taken on Day 3 of the draft was Hezekiah Masses. Masses started his college career at Florida International University, but for his senior season, he transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, and had a breakout season.
Masses recorded five interceptions and nine pass breakups during his senior year. It helped create a draft buzz that led to the Raiders drafting him in the fifth round. Many thought he was a steal, and plenty in the media believed he was a Day 2-type of player.
He has taken training camp by storm, though, and now Masses is drawing lofty comparisons from Las Vegas' secondary coach and passing game coordinator, Joe Woods.
Joe Woods compares Zeke Masses to All-Pro cornerback Denzel Ward
Masses has honestly been the winner of training camp after the first nine days. He has emerged as a player who could end up being a starter in Week 1. He is in a deep competition with Darien Porter at the moment, but he seems to have the leg up heading into the first preseason game.
The former Cal Bear is also catching the eye of the coaching staff. New secondary coach and passing game coordinator Joe Woods had high praise for Masses and compared him to former All-Pro Denzel Ward.
"He can cover. I'm all about getting on the body just in terms of being tight whenever we play press. He has that skill set," Woods said. "There are some guys in the past that he reminds me of in terms of quickness, like Denzel Ward had that extreme lateral quickness where he can get on the body. He has that same type of trait. Not saying he's Denzel, he's got a long way to go, but there are some really good things that he's doing."
A quote like this does put a little bit of pressure on Massess, but he was challenged this offseason by Kubiak as well. He has stepped up to the challenge and made the most of his opportunities, helping him fight for a starting role as a rookie.
If Masses can continue to make plays on defense, it won't be shocking to see him out there as a starter in Week 1. Of course, Darian Porter will fight to keep him off the field, but Masses is making waves so far.
It will be an interesting battle for the rest of camp to see if he is the man opposite Eric Stokes in Week 1.
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