Hondo Carpenter#14 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 12, 2026
Carpenter says rookie fifth-round cornerback Hezekiah Masses has already secured a spot on the Raiders' 53-man roster and will be an impact player in 2026, and they describe Kolton Miller as one of the league's top-five left tackles.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Hondo Carpenter said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromMasses has been terrific and will clearly have an impact on the Raiders' 2026 season.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- Raiders Training Camp Report 16: Evolving Expectations Emerge
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidAug 12
- GradedSep 25
- 1Hezekiah Masses to make the roster“But don’t say that too loud; he still thinks he is on the bubble and said he has his focus on making the 53-man roster. Hey, Hezekiah, you have.”
- 2Kolton Miller to finish top 5 at his position, by an unstated measure“Kolton Miller, one of the top-five LTs in the NFL”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hezekiah Masses to make the roster1 | Roster Spot Calls | 3 weeks on a 53 | 100 | 0 | +200 | |
| Kolton Miller to finish top 5 at his position, by an unstated measure2 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| 2 calls · 1 hit · 1 too vague to check | 100 | 0 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive2 claims — 1 positional finish and 1 roster spot call — the one we can check graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
The one call we can check scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess at the same calls.
The other one was too vague to check, so it is not graded.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
1Roster Spot CallsHezekiah MassesLas Vegas Raiders
Hezekiah Masses to make the roster
What happened3 weeks on a 53100Hit · naive 0100this call−0a naive guess=100better than naive×2difficulty=+200skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- LV
- skill:
- 200
- player:
- Hezekiah Masses
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
2Positional FinishesKolton MillerLas Vegas Raiders
Kolton Miller to finish top 5 at his position, by an unstated measure
VerdictToo vague to checkToo vague to check: we could not tell what would count as right, so it stays on the record without a score.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Chris Broussard · Game Outcome Picks · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 100
Broussard picked the Ravens to beat the Bills in a shootout, 38-34, took the Raiders to upset the Jets, and said Detroit would beat the Vikings.John Breech · Score Predictions · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 95
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Sullivan's Week 8 upset alert column flags five favorites they expect to lose: they pick the Falcons over the Buccaneers, the Raiders over the Jets, the undefeated Vikings over the Lions, the Ravens (with Lamar Jackson returning) over the Bills, and the Browns over the Steelers.Ezekiel Trezevant · Game Outcome Picks · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 100
Trezevant argues that if the Raiders are as improved as they appeared at 3-0, they should beat the Jets in Week 8 on the road and end their four-game losing streak.
More positional finishes
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
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Hribar published their 2023 fantasy football quarterback tiers, ordering 41 quarterbacks into eight tiers that reflect how they prioritize drafting the position, with Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes in the top tier as the trio most likely to finish as the overall QB1.Chris Brockman · Positional Finishes · Jaxon Smith-Njigba · Hit 100
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Tracy argues the Chiefs should address edge rusher and defensive tackle via the draft and use free agency on running back and wide receiver; they name Brian Robinson as their target, expects Kenneth Walker III to re-sign with Seattle, thinks Nick Bolton-style veterans like Jerry Tillery, Derek Nnadi and Mike Pennel shouldn't return, believes Bryan Cook is a top-10 safety the Chiefs can't afford, and predicts a quarterback (Trinidad Chambliss) will rocket up boards so more than one QB goes in the top 10.Pat Gustavson · Positional Finishes · Bijan Robinson · Close 75
Gustafson picks the Patriots, Bills, Seahawks and Bears in the divisional round with a Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl, predicts Mike Tomlin and Matt LaFleur stay, Aaron Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh, and lays out their own coaching landing spots.