Hezekiah Masses was overrun with joy when Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek telephoned his iPhone, letting him know he’s a “lockdown corner” and the 175th pick the NFL draft. An All-American last year at California, Masses too talked to defensive coordinator Rob Leonard, who told him something he never forgot.
“Hey, we’ve got to work on tackling.”
Added Leonard this week about Masses, motivated as a fifth-round pick: “It’s a mindset thing. There’s technique involved, but he works his butt off. So, I’m proud of him.”
A two-star recruit, too slender and small, turned the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week, Masses settled into his first pro start Sunday with a first-quarter tackle for a 2-yard loss. He burst through the Los Angeles Chargers offensive line and bear-hugged Omarion Hampton’s legs, preventing the 220-pound running back from churning them forward. His first two interceptions followed along with a 26-14 win – and jokes in the locker room that Masses would be drug tested.
As a 6-foot-1-inch rookie with a lean, growing 185-pound build and silent South Florida swagger, Masses was made for football on Sundays — no matter how slender he used to be. From the second he first stepped on the practice field at Intermountain Health Performance Center, he has tantalized teammates and coaches alike with technique and toughness forged in Broward County.
“The unique thing about him is he’s had that confidence from Day 1,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “He came in. He put in the work. He’s quiet and just continues to improve, and he doesn’t shy away from the challenge.”
Quiet by nature
Masses weighs about 30 more pounds than he did as a senior at Deerfield Beach, his frame filled out by three years of training at Florida International in addition to Cal. Known as “Zeek” and 22, he wears a Raiders hoodie at team headquarters when he isn’t at practice, often with the hood drawn over his head.
His left arm is filled with tattooed Scripture, including the Serenity Prayer, etched into his forearm beneath the phrasing: “Speak No Evil. Hear No Evil. See No Evil.”
He’s quiet by nature, observant and calm, except when he’s on the football field.
That’s where Masses unleashes the passion he has felt for 17 years and counting. Football in South Florida is like soccer in Spain and “Zeek was chosen,” said his brother, Clinton, a construction worker seven years his senior. “With God’s abilities. You can see that in the way he moved and cuts and everything.”
Masses inherits his willpower from his mother and “hero,” Latoya Trottman, who moved at 10 from Jamaica to South Florida. She sends him a text message every morning, telling him she’s proud of him. Every morning, he replies without fail — letting her know how much he loves her too.
His love for football comes from Clinton, who played wide receiver for Boca Raton High School and loved having his little brother by his side. They’ve always reviewed Hezekiah’s game tape together, in high school, college and now the NFL.
The trio remain a tight-knit unit no matter how far away Masses lives.
As a single mother, Trottman managed fast food restaurants and sold medical supplies until she couldn’t anymore. She had a stroke at the family home and was hospitalized for seven months when Masses was 7, leaving her kids with their grandma in Daytona and insisting this week she’s “supposed to be dead. But I’m here for this.”
When Trottman had her stroke, Clinton said, Masses intensified his focus on football and made a commitment to always “do right.” He wouldn’t miss school or football practice, courtesy of coaches and the parents of his friends. “(Playing in the NFL) is all he wanted,” his brother said.
A running back in the peewee ranks turned receiver when he started at Deerfield Beach, Masses settled at cornerback because of his length and range, he said. Power Four programs balked at Masses, a skilled but slender cover corner who caught the attention of Conference USA’s Florida International University.
Masses said his weight, or lack thereof then, “100 percent” affected his recruitment, but not for lack of trying to pack on the pounds: “I put on weight but I had trouble maintaining it. I always had trouble with my weight, but it don’t matter.”
FIU defensive coordinator Jovan Dewitt said a “stiff breeze would’ve knocked” Masses over his freshman season, but fleet feet, clear vision and soft hands served as mitigating factors for his lack of strength and size. He also proved a quick study for the Panthers, applying teachings on the practice field to game-day settings.
He wouldn’t hesitate to tackle if he had to, ceding dozens of pounds to ballcarriers, finally filling out his junior season as he realized how strength could help him improve.
“Once he figured it out, it was lights out,” said DeWitt, who sensed Sunday potential his sophomore year. “It was a night-and-day difference. … Once he had a little strength behind him, a little ass behind him, he was a lot, lot better.”
‘Trusts his abilities’
When it was time to transfer – after the 2024 season amid the dismissal of FIU coach Mike MacIntyre – Masses went into DeWitt’s office to talk through his options, openly acknowledging his plan to leave with gratitude for FIU. Cal wanted a corner, and Masses wanted a Power Four platform to showcase his skills for NFL evaluators.
He’d build his stock, and also his body.
Growing from 170-ish pounds to 180-plus pounds in Berkeley “was an easy conversation” for defensive backs coach Keith Heyward and Masses. Formerly a Raiders defensive quality control coach, Hayward told Masses he was light compared to NFL cornerbacks, and “immediately you see him” hydrating and eating like he played on Sundays.
“You could tell he was serious,” Heyward added. “He wanted to be good in everything that he did. … That’s who he is. He loves football.”
Masses recorded five interceptions as one of the NCAA’s best ballhawks, insisting his receiver background comes in handy at cornerback. He thought he should’ve been drafted in April before the fifth round, he confirmed this week, but unconcerned almost five months later, he’s playing so far like a first-round pick.
During the Raiders’ offseason program, Masses mixed in first-team reps with the feel and poise of a five-year pro — foreshadowing his showing at training camp. With pads, helmets and more physical practices, Masses continued to compete with verve opposite Raiders pass catchers alongside starter Darien Porter.
Said coach Klint Kubiak of Masses this week: “You’ve seen a guy from the moment he got here that was always confident in himself. Trusts his abilities.”
In coverage and run support all the same.
“It’s that Florida water, man. We’re just built different,” Masses said. “Ever since I laced them up, I’m always going to have confidence in myself because of my preparation.”
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.
