Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Officially Signs Rookie Contract with Lions

Former Missouri standout cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. put the pen to paper on Friday, officially becoming a Detroit Lion.

The Lions selected Rakestraw with the 61st overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft on April 26. Rakestraw became the first Missouri cornerback to be selected in the second round since William Moore in 2009.

Rakestraw, who turns 22-years-old on June 5, will likely play slot cornerback in the NFL. The main knock on Rakestraw as a draft prospect was his lack of size. There were doubts that his 5-foot-11, 183 lb. frame won’t be enough to cover NFL receivers.

But, Rakestraw is used to being overlooked because of his size. He’s modified his playing style, becoming a physical defender that smothers receivers at the line of scrimmage. Analysts adored him for his toughness at the line and for often taking away his side of the field while at Mizzou, including when he faced LSU’s prominent wide receivers, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., this past season.

Rakestraw came to Missouri as the program was coming off of their third season under .500 in five years but left after the team’s best season since 2014 (11-2), which included a Cotton Bowl victory and the No. 8 spot in the final AP Poll.

Rakestraw missed three games in his senior season but still logged 35 tackles. However, NFL scouts thought highly of the cornerback during the draft process due to his impressive junior year when he logged 12 pass breakups (third-most in the SEC).

Although his 4.51-second 40-yard dash could’ve been a bit faster, Rakestraw has shown that he’s more than capable of staying with receivers while in man coverage. That said, his aforementioned pass breakup numbers in 2022 directed opponents to not target receivers under Rakestraw’s jurisdiction nearly as often this past season.