Last year in the NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions made a notable effort to upgrade their secondary ahead of the 2024 season. With their first-round pick, the Lions took former Alabama Crimson Tide cornerback Terrion Arnold at No. 24.
After taking Arnold in the first round, the Lions went back to the cornerback well again, taking former Missouri Tigers defensive back Ennis Rakestraw Jr. With Arnold and Rakestraw in the fold, along with Carlton Davis III at cornerback, the Lions looked poised to make another deep playoff run.
However, Rakestraw Jr. would not see the field much as a rookie. The former Mizzou standout missed most of spring workouts, recovering from a sports hernia surgery he suffered in his last year with the Tigers. He also sustained an ankle injury in training camp, putting him behind the rest of the competition.
The young cornerback saw the field in the regular season opener, playing 14 snaps (11 on special teams). After limited time on defense, the young defensive back was going to get a chance to start in Week 2.
According to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com, Rakestraw said in January that he was scheduled to start against the Tampa Bay Bucs at nickel before suffering a hamstring injury during warm-ups.
"A lot of people didn't know that," Rakestraw said of the plan for him to be a starter early in the season. "I got hurt in warm-ups. So, it was kind of setback and step back."
That hamstring injury really hurt Rakestraw’s chances to start, as Amik Robertson took over and ran away with the job. Meanwhile, the rookie cornerback was placed on IR on November 23, 2024, effectively ending his season.
It was a disappointing first year for Rakestraw Jr., who only appeared in eight games last year, but fans and the team should continue to preach patience with him as he’s a talented defender.
In his four-year career at Mizzou, the 22-year-old cornerback had 107 combined tackles, 24 pass deflections, nine tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell was asked about the Rakestraw at the NFL Annual Meeting earlier this month and expects the young corner to compete despite the additions this offseason.
"I would anticipate this guy takes another step up, man, Campbell said (h/t Tim Twentyman). We're not down on him. We're not disappointed. We expect him to go in there and compete, man. There is nothing set in stone. You draft guys where you do and you sign guys according to what you think they're going to be for you, but the best man is going to play. So, he's very much in that mix."
Nonetheless, if Rakestraw stays healthy this coming season, the sky is the limit for the young cornerback and the Lions' secondary. He’s physical, solid in man coverage, and isn’t afraid to tackle the ball carrier.
With his skills, there's no reason why Rakestraw can't beat out Robertson and Avonte Maddox for the slot job, giving the Lions a solid starting CB room with Arnold and free-agent signing D.J. Reed.