It's fitting that Tonka Hemingway would be in the same sentence as Samson.
A biblical figure whose story is told in the Book of Judges, Samson had God-given superhuman strength. He slayed lions and beasts, and amassed a reputation more resemblant of a mythical Greek character than one from The Old Testament.
Samson is the name inspiration for an award the Raiders training staff gives each offseason to the player making the most effort in the weight room. The 17-inch, seven-pound gold award is not simply determined by how much weight the player can lift, but their attendance during the offseason weightlifting program and their ability to push others around them.
Samson was synonymous with his long, voluminous hair that he believed was his source for his strength. Reminiscent to Hemingway, this offseason's award winner, whose long black dreads spill out of his helmet as he anchors the interior and stacks plays at nose tackle.
"It meant a lot. Just all the hard work," Hemingway said of winning the team award. "You don't really do it for the accolades and everything, but it just means a lot to know that all your hard work has showed up."
The 2025 fifth-round pick finished his rookie season with four sacks in his last five games. Instead of going back home to South Carolina at the end of the season, he decided to stay in the desert at the facility. He didn't want to lose any of the momentum he worked so hard to gain.
"He made the conscious choice to show up here literally in late January to get going," said A.J. Neibel, Raiders head strength and conditioning coach. "He has been a sponge ever since. He's doing all the right things not just in the weight room, but also in the athletic training room in terms of recovery, learning his routine. ... Now he's mastered it in his sophomore season."
"It's all about sacrifices," Hemingway stated. "I could have [gone] back home and everything, but I just decided to stay out here and really go hard at it."
Hemingway's strength is more impressive given his stature. He's been asked to man multiple spots in the interior defensive line, and while he weighs in at 284 pounds, he's been getting consistent pressure on offensive linemen well over 300 pounds throughout training camp.
The strides he's made haven't gone unnoticed by his peers.
"I told him, I was like, 'I can't wait to see what you do this year. Like I'm excited to see the player you become,'" Jonah Laulu said. "Because we always knew he could go. ... Tonka, he's just really smooth with his pass rush and even in the run. He doesn't weigh that much, you would think he weighs more than he does just how good and strong his hands are in the run as well as in the pass. Don't be surprised when you see Tonka out there making plays."
"He's been playing great ball," added Kwity Paye. "And if you ask anybody on the defense, they'll say the same thing. Tonka, he put in a lot of work this offseason."
Hemingway's progression on the field goes beyond heavy weights. Navigating this next year of his NFL career, Neibel believes Hemingway "linking his heart and mind together" has been as much of a factor.
That mental shift is showing up in how Hemingway talks about his role now.
"I'm not a rookie [any] more. ... Now you can't go out there and really look like a rookie," Hemingway said. "You might have mistakes here and there, but you got to be able to correct those mistakes and go act like you are a vet."
"I want to help this team win, be the best that we can be," he added. "And I know if I'm my best, I can help my team."
There's no denying he's in the driver's seat to earn an elevated role within this defensive line rotation.
And like Samson, Hemingway carries his strength with him. But in his case, it's the product of months of deliberate work.
Check out day 9 of 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Heath Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Tristin McCollum (27) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes (5) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Deven Thompkins (83) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II (13) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dareke Young (81) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Greedy Vance (22) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dareke Young (81) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. (88) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Shedrick Jackson (4) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Chase Roberts (86) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Deven Thompkins (83) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (1) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dareke Young (81) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Roman Hemby (37) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Chigozie Anusiem (29) and cornerback Dairen Porter (26) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Segun Olubi (50) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Cody Lindenberg (55) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Devin Lafayette (40) and safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Tristin McCollum (27) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) and guard/center Jackson Powers-Johnson (58) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (44) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn (11) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Devin Lafayette (40) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter (26) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Treven Ma'ae (68) and defensive tackle Adam Butler (69) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter (26) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Deven Thompkins (83) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes (5) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jermod McCoy (28) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Taron Johnson (3) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Dalton Johnson (43) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders center/guard Jordan Meredith (61) and guard Justin Pickett (77) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Roman Hemby (37) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Roman Hemby (37) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Malik Benson (19) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Brandon Johnson (82) and wide receiver coach Zach Azzanni on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Roman Hemby (37) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dareke Young (81) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Dylan Laube (23) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Patrick Gurd (45) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders director of game management and special projects Rohit Mogalayapalli speaks to the running backs on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Gary Smith III (75) and defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway (97) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dareke Young (81) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Chase Roberts (86) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II (13) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dareke Young (81) and quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Hezekiah Masses (35) and running back Dylan Laube (23) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. (88) and wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II (13) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jacob Clark (16) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II (13) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (1) on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Klint Kubiak on the field for practice at 2026 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
