{"id":291691,"date":"2026-07-12T14:30:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T18:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=291691"},"modified":"2026-07-12T14:33:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T18:33:29","slug":"lions-cornerback-ennis-rakestraw-on-fulfilling-2024-elite-pre-draft-ranking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/07\/12\/lions-cornerback-ennis-rakestraw-on-fulfilling-2024-elite-pre-draft-ranking\/","title":{"rendered":"Lions’ Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw On Fulfilling 2024 Elite Pre-Draft Ranking"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

No one on the Lions roster stands to gain more from the Terrion Arnold debacle<\/a> than Detroit\u2019s 2024 second-round draft pick, Ennis Rakestraw. Until now, Rakestraw has been overshadowed by Arnold, the Lions\u2019 first-round pick, and sidelined by injuries. Now, it\u2019s Rakestraw\u2019s turn to shine and remind fans why he was a top NFL Draft prospect in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Lions Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw On Fulfilling 2024 Elite Draft Status<\/h2>\r\n

Declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft as a cornerback for Missouri, Rakestraw was a highly regarded junior class prospect. In a class loaded with premier cornerback talent, including Quinyon Mitchell,<\/a> Arnold, Cooper DeJean<\/a>, and Kool-Aid McKinstry<\/a>, he stood out as an athlete with an elite skill set.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

Rakestraw, NFL Draft Projections\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n

NFLdraftbuzz.com<\/a> described Rakestraw as an \u201cinstinctual player with a keen understanding of the game, showcasing an ability to anticipate plays and react swiftly.\u201d \u00a0At the time, the only blemish on his record was an ACL tear that prematurely ended his sophomore season after four games.<\/p>\r\n

Praising his \u201csuperior man coverage skills\u201d and \u201cexcellent football IQ,\u201d the profile highlighted Rakestraw\u2019s \u201cwillingness to engage physically, especially in run support and tackling, where he is close to elite.\u201d<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n

Rakestraw was seen as a \u201cthree-down cornerback capable of bolstering a defensive unit’s effectiveness against both the pass and run.\u201d Despite a lighter frame, his profile concluded that \u201ccorners like Rakestraw, who can dominate in man coverage and hold their own in run support, become invaluable\u201d<\/em> NFL team assets.<\/p>\r\n

NFL Draft analyst, Lance Zierlein, noted his \u201cexcellent body control\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/a> and \u201csalty run support with willingness to wrap and lift ball-carriers.\u201d<\/em> However, despite his favorable pre-draft rankings, Rakestraw didn\u2019t have a great showing at the NFL Combine, turning in a disappointing broad jump and a slower-than-expected 4.51 40-yard-dash. A <\/span>low 55 on his Athleticism score negatively impacted his Total Score, bringing it down to 71.<\/p>\r\n

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The 2024 NFL Draft<\/h3>\r\n

After selecting Arnold with the 24th pick of the 2024 Draft, the Lions\u2019 next move was to double up at cornerback, drafting Rakestraw with the 61st overall selection in the second round. <\/span>While some may have questioned the wisdom of selecting two corners back-to-back,<\/a> <\/span>the Lions had a gap to fill after cutting Cam Sutton<\/span><\/a> and electing not to re-sign Jerry Jacobs.<\/p>\r\n

From the start, Arnold and Rakestraw drew comparisons. Both were of similar size at just under 6\u20190,\u201d with Arnold (189 lbs.) outweighing his fellow rookie by only six pounds. However, those few pounds would prove pivotal for Rakestraw, whose slender frame was frequently pointed out <\/span>as a potential weakness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Rakestraw, An Ongoing Litany of Injuries<\/h3>\r\n

Entering rookie training camp, Rakestraw was limited due to core surgery that stemmed from a 2023 college hernia. An ankle injury during camp further complicated matters. But despite his limitations, Rakestraw did well enough in training camp to earn the confidence of the coaching staff<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/span><\/a>, Rakestraw was given the starting assignment at nickel back.\u00a0However, during pre-game warmups, he pulled a hamstring.\u00a0 <\/span>Amik Robertson was the next man up<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The hamstring injury landed Rakestraw on injured reserve, causing him to miss nine games. With Robertson playing well in the role, Rakestraw never regained the starting assignment and played only 46 snaps that season.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

A Lost Season In 2025\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n

In early August of 2025, the Lions announced that, as a result of a training camp shoulder injury, Rakestraw would be undergoing season-ending surgery. It was a disastrous turn of events that shut down his sophomore season before it even began.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cYou hate it for the kid, you hate it. It\u2019s not his fault, just one of those tough deals,\u201d<\/em> coach Dan Campbell told the media<\/a>. \u201cAll you can do is try to get it better and rehab, come back stronger, and move on. That\u2019s all you can do.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\r\n

Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard also spoke up on his behalf, noting the progress he\u2019d shown before the injury, \u201cI\u2019ve been anxiously looking forward to Rakestraw getting back out there, because he\u2019s a guy in the spring that you saw taking that next step as well.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n

Rakestraw Working Hard to Prepare For A Breakout Year in 2026\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\r\n

By March of this year, Rakestraw had grown weary of the constant questions concerning his health. Speaking out on social media, he posted, “Fully healthy quit asking been healthy since December.”<\/i><\/i><\/p>\r\n

More importantly, Rakestraw made significant changes to his conditioning and training regimen in the offseason to better prepare for a healthy 2026 season.\u00a0<\/span>During OTAs, his coach was asked about Rakestraw.<\/p>\r\n

Campbell was pleased with his progress,\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s had a good spring\u2026He had a lot of time to really not only rehab but work back there with (Lions Head Strength and Conditioning) Coach (Josh) Schuler and (former Lions Director of Sports Performance) Mike Clark when they were here, and certainly (Lions Director of Player Health and Performance Brett Fischer) Fisch. So he\u2019s had a little bit of bulk, he\u2019s a little more dense than he was, that\u2019s always going to help the body.\u201d<\/i><\/i><\/p>\r\n

When speaking to The Brad Galli Show<\/span><\/a>, Rakestraw referred to his injuries as “Just a part of the game.” \u00a0<\/i>He said,\u00a0“I’m sorry it had to be me, but God gives his battles to his strongest soldiers.”\u00a0<\/i><\/i><\/p>\r\n

Noting his changed physique and added bulk, Galli asked about his preparation. Rakestraw admitted that he was strictly business in the offseason. Describing hours in the weight room each day devoted to building muscle through shoulder, core, and hamstring workouts, Rakestraw focused on strengthening the previous problem areas.<\/p>\r\n

Fulfilling His Pre-Draft Potential<\/h3>\r\n

Rakestraw knows he has yet to deliver on his pre-draft potential. Saying that the unfulfilled promise is what keeps him hungry, he thinks of it every day. Determined to succeed, he vows to “Finally fulfill the life of an NFL player, touch the field, and do what I want to do and make Detroit proud of me.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No one on the Lions roster stands to gain more from the Terrion Arnold debacle than Detroit\u2019s 2024 second-round draft pick, Ennis Rakestraw. Sidelined by injuries over the past two seasons, now it\u2019s Rakestraw\u2019s turn to shine and remind fans why he was a top NFL Draft prospect in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5208,"featured_media":292039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,24,6431],"tags":[10326,33559,32285],"class_list":["post-291691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-news","category-lions","category-nfl-teams","tag-amik-robertson","tag-ennis-rakestraw","tag-terrion-arnold"],"modified_by":"Sue Levine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291691"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":292047,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291691\/revisions\/292047"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}