Lions UDFA Profile: CB De’Shawn Rucker

During the NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions had one of the biggest steals of the draft when they took Arizona State cornerback Keith Abney II in the fifth round.

Abney was mocked as early as the second round by some pundits, and his selection had Motown fans and media stating he can compete to start early.

However, it was the only time the Lions drafted a defensive back with their seven-selection 2026 draft class. Once the draft was over, Brad Holmes was working the phones, coming to terms with a few more defensive backs to fill out the room.

Recently, Lions On SI profiled Aamaris Brown. The other player the Lions added was once part of the same secondary that sent Colton Hood and Jermod McCoy to the NFL in the first four rounds of the draft. His name: De’Shawn Rucker.

What De’Shawn Rucker Brings to Detroit

Rucker is a 6-foot corner that started his career with Tennessee before transferring to the South Florida Bulls for his final two seasons. He recorded 100 tackles, 11 pass deflections, one forced fumble and an interception during his time with the Bulls.

Rucker is primarily a man coverage cornerback that had an athletic showcase at his Pro Day workout to get more teams noticing him. During the pre-draft process, he had a local visit with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with meeting with the Atlanta Falcons and a few other teams, per Justin Melo of Draft On SI.

Scouting Report on Rucker

Rucker was an instant impact player with the Bulls, playing in over 500 snaps in each of the last two seasons after a combined 184 snaps during three seasons with the Volunteers.

He is a willing tackler who tries to dislodge the ball from his receiver’s hands, although his numbers do not show an elite corner at this stage in his career. That said, he allowed less than 560 yards over his final two seasons as the primary man in coverage.

Additionally, Rucker is a player with versatility, serving on both the outside and at nickel corner during his last two seasons. Building on that, Rucker also has extensive special teams experience throughout his time in college.

Rucker was a first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection in 2025, playing a key part in the Bulls’ Week 2 upset win over the Florida Gators.

During his pro day workouts, he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash and recorded a 37-inch vertical, which sent teams scrambling to watch the tape again and it made Rucker highly coveted. He had the distinction of being the first announced Lions UDFA in the class.

However, the reason he did not get drafted comes from concerns about competition, with the American Athletic Conference being a large downgrade from the SEC.

Both times Rucker played an NFL-caliber quarterback in 2025, against Miami’s Carson Beck (a third-round pick) and Drew Mestemaker of North Texas (now with Oklahoma State and a projected top-five quarterback in his class), he struggled. Two of his worst-four grades of the season occurred against the two schools, per PFF.

While he is athletic, there are concerns on how he will fare against elite NFL competition on a weekly basis. Despite high athletic numbers, Rucker does not jump out on the sheet in pass breakups or interceptions, with his 11 pass breakups over the last two seasons being well below other players in the class.

That said, there is something to be said about his coverage skills, with less than 50 targets directed his way in coverage in each of his final two seasons.

The Lions are looking to rebuild the depth of their roster after injury-plagued 2024 and 2025 seasons took their toll. The hope will be that the all-conference selection can learn and grow to rebuild the Lions, so that his time to shine is not forced upon in the “legion of whom.”

Instant Impact Score: 41. Rucker has solid coverage skills, decent size and elite athleticism, with proven special teams snaps. However, there is not any moment in his tape that indicates he will be a “can’t-miss” player at the next level. He could mold into an NFL depth piece and contributor. But, it is hard to call him more than a practice-squad player at the moment, with there being current reservations about him playing against NFL receivers on a weekly basis.

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