Raiders preseason: Meet Luke Masterson

One of the young Las Vegas Raiders’ young players who have flashed in the first two preseason games is undrafted free agent Luke Masterson. Let’s get to know him better:

College highlights:
Masterson, 6-foot-1, 234 pounds, was a standout at Wake Forest. He was an ACC honorable mention and an ACC all-academic first-team in 2021. He was the 2022 Hula Bowl defensive MVP. He started 31 games at Wake Forest at linebacker, safety and rover.

Known for:
A smart, big hitter who has a chance to be a good special teamer early in his career. He has four tackles in two preseason games.

How he can make the Raiders’ roster:
It will be as a special teamer and as a backup linebacker. He has a real chance and is battling with fellow undrafted rookie Darien Butler for a roster spot. If he doesn’t make the 53-man roster, he likely should be practice squad bound.

Coach speak:

“Another guy in the transition from safety to linebacker from college and he’s still making that transition. Again, working on his eyes, working on the physicality; just the technique and fundamentals to play linebacker. I think what he’s really embraced more anything else has been – I call it the commander in front of the defense – leading those guys. I thought what he did the other night was really impressive. He was a very active kid in the game, right away. He was throwing his body around, talking about being physical. I thought he was physical, using his hands. He did a pretty good job tackling, only one missed tackle for him. Just that constant improvement. Both those guys, Darien Butler and Luke have done outstanding jobs of asking questions, putting in the extra time. They’re probably one of the first two guys in the building, and the last ones to leave,” Raiders linebackers coach Antonio Pearce on Masterson.