How receiver instincts are accelerating cornerback Hezekiah Masses' transition to the pros

Aug 05, 2026 at 11:22 AM

Raiders Columnist

The conversation, Hezekiah Masses remembered, was a tough one. It was also necessary for his future.

Entering his senior year at Deerfield Beach High School in South Florida, Masses had been a lithe-if-speedy receiver with game-breaking potential. But now his coach wanted him to make a position switch?

Make it make sense.

"Zeke, you're long, lengthy," Jevon Glenn told Masses. "You should switch to corner."

Masses was nonplussed.

"Man, I don't know about that," Masses replied. "I like scoring touchdowns, man. I like the ball in my hands."

Glenn's reply?

"Naw," he said, "just trust me."

Masses had no choice and the trust paid off as it set him on his path, from a late-blooming 2-star recruit with minimal college offers to three seasons at Florida International to a breakout campaign at California to being selected by the Raiders in the fifth round of the NFL draft to opening eyes in his first training camp.

"Ever since that summer, man, I was just playing corner and I loved it," Masses told me on Upon Further Review. "I just fell in love with it.

"And, like, it translates over because playing receiver, my instinct is natural. I just love getting the ball in the air."

Have we already mentioned how Masses has been opening eyes in camp?

"Zeke, I'm very impressed with him, and I tell him that every day," said receiver Tre Tucker. "When I see him, I'm like, 'Hey, keep going. We're going to make each other better.' He caught my eye, actually. I was watching rookie minicamp, just looking at the guys, and I was like, 'Who is [No.] 35, man?' Like, he's over everyone.

"And then actually getting to go against him, I can see it. He has the mentality. He's super locked in and that's what you want to see from a young guy. He's a guy that I think actually has a really, really, really bright future."

Secondary mate and veteran safety Jeremy Chinn agreed.

"I mean, Zeke came in making plays," Chinn said. "Even in OTAs, just seeing him step up. I feel like he just had an understanding. Even just technique-wise, he's true to his technique. He's always been true to his technique ever since he stepped in here, and it hasn't been a drop-off, so it's cool to see."

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At 6-foot, 179 pounds soaking wet and with rocks in his pockets and 4.46 speed, Masses does not conjure up images of the Raiders' fearsome Soul Patrol of old - Willie Brown, Skip Thomas, George Atkinson and Jack Tatum.

But Masses is a corner whose physical style of play shares certain strands of DNA. Hence, Masses walks a fine line between being sticky and being penalized.

At Cal last fall, he led the nation with 18 passes defended and added five interceptions. Alas, he also added eight coverage penalties to his resume.

"I'm an all-around corner, man," Masses said. "I could play man. I could play zone. I'm physical, so I can do it all.

"Sometimes I try to be too physical sometimes. Sometimes I try to do too much sometimes. Sometimes they throw the flag, but I've got to work on that."

Masses smiled.

But his grin quickly melted away when I asked what it looks like when he gets too physical on the field.

"Me just being over top of the receiver," he said. "Me trying to be too handsy. Try to use my length too much at times and just try to put hands on guys. Basically, kind of hold too much."

Thus far in camp, his skillset, which he refers to as equal parts "savvy," "greedy" and "instinctive," has translated just fine, thank you very much.

Whether it's in 1-on-1 drills, 7-on-7s or full team matchups, padded and not.

Again, have we already mentioned how Masses has been opening eyes in camp? Yes? Well, then, he's also been earning first-team snaps.

Masses, like most rookies, has taken on the role of a sponge. And while he has garnered praise from coaches, he has also taken to the instruction of pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Joe Woods.

"Coach Joe, he gets on me about the little things, like his technique," Masses said. "I'm trying to master what he's teaching me. Whatever he's putting down, I'm trying to just take it all in and just try to master it.

"Camp is going solid so far. Every day, just trying to be myself, the best version of myself. Just trying to push the guys and the guys trying to push me. Every day."

The age-old rib on cornerbacks is that they corner instead of receiver because they can't catch the ball.

The joke falls flat on Masses, the converted pass catcher.

"No, that's not the case, man," he said. "I love the ball. When the ball's in the air, I feel like it's mine. I'm the receiver."

No more conversations needed, then.

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Las Vegas Raiders tackle Kolton Miller (74) before practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.