Get to know the Lions draft pick: Ennis Rakestraw 'can absolutely be a lockdown cornerback some day'

The Detroit Lions doubled down on cornerbacks when they took Alabama's Terrion Arnold in the first-round and then took Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw with their second-round pick. 

Rakestraw and Arnold are two totally different players with different skills. Arnold is more of ball hawk while Rakestraw is more of a shadow guy that can bat down passes and tackle. 

We wanted to know more about Rakestraw, so we reached out Missouri beat writer Davis Wilson of Missourian Sports to get the scoop. Here's what he had to say: 

What are your overall thoughts on Rakestraw's time at Missouri?

"When Ennis Rakestraw committed to Missouri over Alabama and Texas out of high school, there was a viral clip of coach Eli Drinkwitz celebrating the news. He was Drinkwitz’s first big recruiting win at Missouri, and for that reason, I think there was always a lot of excitement from fans surrounding Rakestraw. He started all 10 games as a freshman and had to work through some injuries in 2021 before putting together nice seasons in 2022 and 2023. He had some nagging injury issues last season, but when he was healthy, he and Kris Abrams-Draine made up one of the best cornerback duos in the conference. It’s a shame that injury issues seemed to follow him around a bit, but his career at Missouri was unequivocally a success."

What are his strengths?

"Rakestraw is excellent in man coverage. He has good length and makes playing cornerback look easy at times. He’s a physical player that uses his length well when it comes to pressing at the line. What stood out most to me last season was his willingness as a tackler. You rarely see a cornerback that tackles like Rakestraw. He excels in sniffing out and disrupting quick, screen passes and provides plus help in the run game."

What are his weaknesses?

"While he is fast, he sometimes gets beat on shorter horizontal routes. He has great ball instincts despite what the interception numbers might convey, but it could certainly improve in more consistently turning pass breakups into turnovers. Another area of improvement is getting his head around faster on deep routes. He sometimes has trouble when matched up with bigger body receivers because of his smaller frame."

Should there be a concern that Rakestraw doesn't cause turnovers?

"I don’t think there should be significant concern about his interception numbers. Often times when you see a corner with low interception numbers it can be a good thing because it means the quarterback isn't throwing to him. I think this is the case for Rakestraw. Quarterbacks did not give him a ton of opportunities to intercept passes because they rarely threw his way in man coverage. Instead of throwing to Rakestraw they would throw to Abrams-Draine, who totaled a career-high four interceptions in 2024. He can absolutely improve at finishing plays and reeling in passes, but it shouldn’t be a great concern as long as his coverage continues to make up for it."

Could he be a lockdown type cornerback some day?

"Yes, I think Rakestraw can absolutely be a lockdown cornerback some day. Leading up to the draft, there was first-round buzz for him before he hurt his hamstring running the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He excels in man coverage and works well in zone coverage, he can play outside and in the slot and his physicality is going to make him an exciting press-coverage corner and it will help make up for his lack of size and vertical speed. It may take some time for him to adjust to the NFL, but if the injury bug stays away, he has the tools to become a starting cornerback in the league."