Las Vegas Raiders HC Klint Kubiak just let everyone know that one rookie doesn’t need to have the same questions asked about him anymore
The Las Vegas Raiders have a steal of a draft pick in rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses, who had yet another interception.
The Las Vegas Raiders are 3-0 after a clutch win over the New Orleans Saints, one of only a few undefeated teams remaining in the NFL. They play the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs next week.
Before looking ahead, though, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak reflected on the game Monday and made one thing clear about his secondary. Rookie 5th-round cornerback Hezekiah Masses is the starter.
“He’s our starting corner, so he’s going to be getting their very best every week,” Kubiak said.
How Masses won the job
Masses didn’t begin the season as the starter. Darien Porter, the second-year cornerback and a 3rd-round pick last year, started at the position. Porter won the job in a close training-camp battle between the two. When Porter went down with an injury in Week 1, Masses stepped in against the Chargers and came away with two interceptions, earning Defensive Player of the Week honors.
When Porter returned healthy this week, plenty of questions remained about who would start. Kubiak answered them definitively. Masses has taken over the spot as a rookie cornerback, with three interceptions, and the job is his.
Sunday wasn’t his best game, but context matters
Masses didn’t have his strongest outing against the Saints, despite recording another interception. According to Sports Info Solutions, he was targeted six times, allowed four completions for 51 yards, and only four of those targets were catchable. He allowed catches on all four. The other two were not even catchable. If you think about it, he was 4-for-4 on catchable throws.
The interception he hauled in was pretty wide open with nobody around him, and the quarterback’s arm was hit on the throw. It was an easy one. That said, Masses was still better than safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, who allowed two touchdowns on the day, and better than Jeremy Chinn in coverage. He is a 5th-round rookie. He’ll have his struggles at times, and that’s fine. He’s not committing egregious mistakes that put the other team in position to score.
The bigger picture for Las Vegas
Masses leads the team with three interceptions through three games. For a defense that hasn’t created turnovers in years, that matters. The Raiders have preached takeaways for the last five to 10 years, and now they’re doing it. Masses is a huge reason why.
Kubiak’s confidence in him as the starter says everything. Masses will face opposing teams’ best wide receivers week in and week out, and that will only accelerate his development. For a rookie 5th-round pick already leading his team in interceptions on an undefeated squad, the progression throughout the rest of the year should be fun to watch.
