Cal CB Hezekiah Masses Posts Good 40-Yard Time at NFL Combine

Cal’s Hezekiah Masses turned a poor time on his first 40-yard dash attempt into a pretty good one on his second

Hezekiah Masses | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Former Cal cornerback Hezekiah Mases had a second chance to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine on Friday, and it’s a good thing, because he improved his time considerably

The 6-foot-1, 179-ppound Masses was timed in 4.56 seconds in his first 40-yard try, and that would have put him among the slowest times of the 20 cornerbacks who ran the 40 in Indianapolis.

However, in the second round, Masses improved his time by a full 10th of a second, crossing the line in 4.46 seconds. That put him in the middle of the pack among cornerbacks and eliminated suspicions that he was not fast enough to player cornerback in the NFL.

On the rise 📈 4.46 for @HezekiahMasses

📺 #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork #GoBears pic.twitter.com/zIMdZVrhKo

— Cal Football (@CalFootball) February 27, 2026

He also finished in the middle of the pack in the 10-yard split, timing 1.57 seconds.

Those times offset some disappointing showings in the jumping events.

Masses’ vertical leap of 31.5 inches was the worst of the 23 cornerbacks who tested in this event. 

Six cornerbacks leaped 40 inches or higher, with D’Angelo Ponds of Indiana turning in the highest vertical leap of 43.5 inches.

Masses’ broad jump was 9 feet, 11 inches, which was also the worst of the 20 cornerbacks who participated in the broad jump.  The best broad jump was provided by Julian Neal of Arkansas, who was measured at 11 feet, 2 inches.

Masses’ strength is not his athleticism, but his ability to play the ball in the air.  His 18 passes defended (5 interceptions, 13 pass breakups) in 2025 tied for the most in the country. He tried to demonstrate his ball skills in a variety of drills cornerbacks performed at the Combine Friday. How scouts judged Masses in those drills is difficult to assess.

Masses is expected to be taken somewhere between the third and fifth rounds of the upcoming NFL draft, although that could change. The 2026 draft will be held April 23-25.in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper did not rank Masses among the top 10 cornerbacks in the draft, but included him in a group of 15 cornerbacks that “just missed” being included in the top 10.

Masses will get an opportunity to improve on his Combine marks when he participates in Cal Pro Day next month.