2024 NFL Draft Profile: Missouri Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr.

MizzouCentral is taking a deep dive on each of the Tigers' top football prospects who could be selected April 25–27 in Detroit.

Ennis Rakestraw Jr. doesn’t want you to judge a book by its cover.

The main knock on the Missouri cornerback as a draft prospect has been his lack of size. 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. 

His commitment was one of the first secured by Eli Drinkwitz in his time at Missouri. Drinkwitz received plenty of teasing from people on twitter for his ecstatic reaction for ‘only a three-star.’

"If you look back at all the different comments that people made about my reaction and '3 star this' and blah blah, to see what Ennis Rakestraw has become, you'd like to go back and tag tweet every one of them."

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. He’ll hope to make a similar impact on the NFL team that selects him.

Player Info

• Jersey: No. 2
• Position: Cornerback
• DOB: June 5, 2002
• Hometown: West Dallas, Texas
• High School: Duncanville
• Recruiting Class: 2020
• Recruiting Rating: Consensus 3-star
• Missed Senior Bowl due to a core muscle missed injury

Accomplishments 

Rakestraw was one of the leaders of a Missouri secondary that allowed less than 220 yards per game each of the past two seasons. He only snagged one interception in his four years but his impact is much more noticeable off the stat sheet.

He was thrust into action immediately, earning 10 starts during his freshman year of 2020. His most impressive game during his debut season was week 5 against Florida when he tallied three pass breakups.

His sophomore season was derailed when he tore his ACL after week 4. However, the adversity only made Rakestraw stronger.

"I learned that I can overcome anything," Rakestraw said of his recovery. "Can't take it for granted, 'cause you never know when it's your last snap."

He returned to the field in 2022, where he would record 12 pass breakups and his one career interception against Abilene Christian. He was a semifinalist for the Comeback Player of the Year award.

His 2023 season also included untimely injury troubles. He missed week 4 against Memphis with a groin injury and suffered a core muscle injury later in the season, causing him to miss the final week of the season and the Cotton Bowl.

He received an invite to the Senior Bowl but missed due to recovering from surgery for the core muscle injury.

NFL Combine/Workout Details

Height: 5-11 3-8
Weight: 183 pounds
Hand: 8 4/8
Arm: 32
Wing: 75 5/8

40-yard dash: 4.51 seconds
10-yard split: 1.52
20-yard split: 2.59

What They're Saying

Lance Zierlien from NFL.com: “Rakestraw plays the game with good physicality and a competitive tilt that defensive back coaches will enjoy. He’s strong but not as big or fast as teams usually like when picking within the first three rounds of the draft. However, he’s hard-nosed in press and has the body control and anticipation to play a sticky brand of man coverage over the first two levels. He’s quicker than fast and does a nice job of breaking quickly on throws in front of him with well-timed challenges to knock the ball free.” 

Mock Draft

In Cody Benjamin’s recent mock draft for CBS, he projected Rakestraw to be selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round with the 29th overall pick.

Projection

In Dane Brugler’s “The Beast” draft guide for The Athletic, Rakestraw is ranked as the seventh-best cornerback, behind Michigan’s Mike Sainristil. 

Rakestraw will likely play in the slot in the pros, as he did in college. There’s plenty of team’s set to select in the second half of the first round, Rakestraw’s range, who are in need of a cornerback.

The Last Word

"It's you versus me. It's who's better. It's who wants it more. It's just my lifestyle: adversity. It's a chess match, some you win, some you lose, at the end of the day, it's the last play that don't define me as a man or as a person. The play that matters the most is the next one." 

— Rakestraw

This story will be updated as the 2024 NFL Draft draws closer. 

This is one of the final stories in a series of profiles of former Missouri football players who could be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.