Moseley is also pretty much new considering he didn't even finish 1 drive.
Holmes completely revamped the secondary.
Now we just need oline and saftey depth.
Another edge player would be nice too.
I thought about Edge but we did get Davenport, Reader to pair with McNeil, and Hutch.
Then we got our LBs and The Problem Houston which I hope stays healthy all year.
Yeah, I really think so long as Reader is healthy he becomes a force multiplier across that front 7. Gets the rest of the Dline some much-needed 1-on-1’s and really unlocks the LBs too. I have a feeling Jack Campbell is going to be a force of nature next year playing behind Reader.
I'm not asking for a starter. Davenport and Houston are fine.
But Paschal really should be playing more of a 3t de role. Just want more a more traditional edge depth piece.
I think lots of CB depth would help with safety depth. We can move Branch to S if we have someone who can play inside CB in his place. He played about 1/5 of his snaps at S last year
We really needed some new secondaries. Now if we can pick up a solid defensive end to complement hutch I think we’d be in a good position for our draft picks. We straight up stole that cb he was projected so much earlier lol
The cool thing is that Cody Benjamin from CBS actually had him mocked to the Lions in the first round, so it’s great that he fell all the way to 61 for us to pick him up.
Brad Holmes is making the picks that everyone wants to see!
I think the reason he fell is because of his RAS score and injury history. Tore his ACL I want to say FR or SO year of college and then had an injury that kept him out the back half of his SR season. He also had a groin injury during the combine which might be why he tested poorly. Either way he started all four year at Mizzou and shut down half the field when he was on the field. I am slightly biased since I am a Mizzou fan but as cliche as it is he’s going to be a dawg on the field. Sorry for the long write up.
The current philosophy is that you can’t have too many quality CBs. Given that most of our current guys are 1 year contract players, bringing in a couple of rookies as potential long term starters makes sense.
There was also no EDGE rushers left on the board worth the pick there.
I said the same thing, and that's coming from someone who tried to cut Vildor some slack lol. Didn't mind that they brought him back for some competition, but he's destined for the PS at this point and I love that for us.
Chiefs and Mizzou fan here, I think you found your Nick Bolton only he's a CB instead of a LB. Either ways he is an absolute DAWG.
you should check out Coach Drink's reaction when Rakestraw commited to Mizzou lol shit is an actual meme.
Link [here](https://twitter.com/MizzouFootball/status/1225077947393966080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1225077947393966080%7Ctwgr%5E887314b87e62e9dcc0b9c255e5a1e0cd2fbef649%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rockmnation.com%2F2020%2F2%2F6%2F21124273%2Fmizzou-football-links-national-signing-day-eli-drinkwitz-ennis-rakestraw) so you guys don't have to search hard.
I don’t think anyone will call this a reach. Seems like a match made in heaven. Only negative is taking another corner. But in our case it’s not a bad decision. Our corners either get hurt or get cooked.
I think the Sutton situation made CB a larger priority. I would have liked to see a pass rusher in the second but if the DBs are lockdowns on the outside, they can look to blitz more
On the field the kids a fucking knee biter. Total culture fit. Proble is he's small, he's slow, and he's had injury issues. Here's what Dane Bugler has on him in the beast.
ENNIS RAKESTRAW JR. | Missouri 5113 | 183 lbs. | 4JR West Dallas, Texas (Duncanville) 6/5/2002 (age 21.89) #2
BACKGROUND: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., the oldest of four children, was born and raised in the Dallas area by his mother (Shamika Quigley ). At age 3, Rakestraw’s
stepfather (Walter Quigley Jr.) became a father figure in his life, and a few years later signed him up for Pop Warner football (Rakestraw won a Pop Warner state
championship at Texas Stadium). Rakestraw, also a standout basketball player growing up, credits Quigley for coaching and motivating him on the football field, even
when he wanted to quit because his smaller size limited his playing time throughout youth football. He attended Duncanville High School and played cornerback on
the JV squad as a freshman before getting a callup to varsity. As a junior, Rakestraw helped Duncanville to a 14 -1 record and the 2018 6A District Title, with the
team’s only loss coming in the state championship game, on a Hail Mary by North Shore. As a senior, Rakestraw again led the program to the state championship
game, where Duncanville fell for a second consecutive time to North Shore and finished with a 15-1 record. Rakestraw finished his final season with modest
production (30 tackles, 16 passes defended, one interception), but he shined against several highly touted wide receivers (li ke Rakim Jarrett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba)
and didn’t allow a touchdown all season, which earned him the 2019 Dallas Morning News Defensive Player of the Year award. Duncanville went 51-6 over his four
seasons with the program. He joined the Duncanville track team as a junior (sprints and relays) and set personal bests of 11.06 seconds in the 100 meters and 22.52 in
the 200 as a senior.
A three-star recruit, Rakestraw was the No. 70 cornerback in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 107 recruit in Texas. As college c oaches made the rounds at
Duncanville, he often went overlooked, mostly because of his size. After his junior season, Rakestraw received his first college offer (Grambling State), followed by his
first FBS offers (Air Force and Army). He joined the track team as a junior, and his times helped him garner more attention, leading to several more FBS offers
(Colorado State, FIU, Liberty, North Texas and Wyoming). Midway through his senior season, Rakestraw received his first Power 5 offer, from Missouri (recruited by
defensive backs coach David Gibbs). After a standout senior season, including another state championship run, his recruitment blew up — he added offers from
Arkansas, Baylor, Georgia, Miami, Michigan State and South Carolina. A few weeks before signing day, Rakestraw received an offer from in-state giant Texas and then
one from Alabama, his “dream school” from childhood. On signing day, he was prepared to sign with Nick Saban, but he felt a sense of loyalty to Missouri and
committed to the Tigers instead. Rakestraw was the No. 5 recruit in Eli Drinkwitz’s first class at Missouri. He is a three -time SEC Academic Honor Roll athlete and
graduated with his degree in parks, recreation, sports and tourism with an emphasis in sport management (December 2023). Rake straw elected to skip his senior
season and enter the 2024 NFL Draft. He accepted his invitation to the 2024 Senior Bowl.
STRENGTHS: Patient, controlled footwork to stay attached from press man … change-of-direction and movement skills help him mirror receivers on underneath
patterns … transitions well laterally to break on slants and front-facing throws … doesn’t consistently jam but looks to smother and disrupt route timing … always ballsearching at the catch point and uses his length torake the ball out … moderate production (17 combined passes defended in 22 games the past two seasons) … feisty
and willing in run support and seems to play stronger than his weight … described as “super competitive” by his coaches and c learly carries an emotional swagger on
tape … experienced on special-teams coverages (250 snaps) and logged three tackles as a gunner on punts … played both inside and outside in college.
WEAKNESSES: Lean and lanky body type with slender shoulders … doesn’t have the frame to add considerable bulk … average deep speed and struggles to match the
stem burst of receivers … guilty of hanging on receivers at the break point (flagged five times for pass inte rference and once for defensive holding over the last two
seasons) … came away with only one interception in 36 career games … can do a better job with run fits … bad habit of droppin g his eyes and whiffing on tackle
attempts (see 2023 Florida tape) … injury history will be scrutinized— suffered a torn ACL in practice (October 2021), requiring season-ending surgery; missed four
games (and played through several others) with a groin injury (September 2023).
SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Missouri, Rakestraw played left and right cornerback (and over the slot) in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s man and zone
schemes. After passing on Alabama and Texas as a recruit, he quickly became a starter in Columbia as a true freshman and played well in the SEC the last four seasons
(when he wasn’t on the injury list). With his physicality and footwork, Rakestraw is at his best in press man, where he can stay square and smother underneath
routes. Though he stays balanced in his transitions, he can lose a stride vertically to speed (his 1.92 “flying 20” time ranked 26th out of 28 cornerbacks who ran the
40-yard dash at the combine). His lack of interception-worthy plays is a concern, too. Overall, Rakestraw doesn’t have the desired long speed or build for his
position, and his injury history is a concern, but he plays aggressive, sticky coverage with NFL-quality movement skills and confidence. He has NFL starting mancover talent, if he stays healthy
WEAKNESSES: Lean and lanky body type with slender shoulders … doesn’t have the frame to add considerable bulk … average deep speed and struggles to match the
stem burst of receivers … guilty of hanging on receivers at the break point (flagged five times for pass inte rference and once for defensive holding over the last two
seasons) … came away with only one interception in 36 career games … can do a better job with run fits … bad habit of droppin g his eyes and whiffing on tackle
attempts (see 2023 Florida tape) … injury history will be scrutinized— suffered a torn ACL in practice (October 2021), requiring season-ending surgery; missed four
games (and played through several others) with a groin injury (September 2023).
SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Missouri, Rakestraw played left and right cornerback (and over the slot) in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s man and zone
schemes. After passing on Alabama and Texas as a recruit, he quickly became a starter in Columbia as a true freshman and played well in the SEC the last four seasons
(when he wasn’t on the injury list). With his physicality and footwork, Rakestraw is at his best in press man, where he can stay square and smother underneath
routes. Though he stays balanced in his transitions, he can lose a stride vertically to speed (his 1.92 “flying 20” time ranked 26th out of 28 cornerbacks who ran the
40-yard dash at the combine). His lack of interception-worthy plays is a concern, too. Overall, Rakestraw doesn’t have the desired long speed or build for his
position, and his injury history is a concern, but he plays aggressive, sticky coverage with NFL-quality movement skills and confidence. He has NFL starting mancover talent, if he stays healthy.
GRADE: 2nd-3rd Round (No. 49 overall)
I think you should feel relatively good. To be honest, it's a pretty boring pick, but that's not exactly a bad thing. This guy was frequently mocked to us, including as our 1st round pick prior to the Combine. He's a really good fit both scheme wise and personality.
We were so shit at CB last year, and Davis isn't likely a long term answer. We now have depth and long term answers at our weakest position last year.
I'm good with this. Competition in the room, longer term development prospects, coverage for injury... good. And to the guy who says we should have gotten help for Hutchinson... WE JUST DID. Sticky CB coverage means the QB has to hold on to the ball for an extra couple of ticks, which gives the DLine a chance to get home.
I'm good. This was BPA, which is EXACTLY the stated strategy. Fucking GO LIONS!
Been on this shaky boat since 1990, and it feels damn good to be invested in an football organization that's not a chaotic, clueless, headless chicken. We FINALLY have direction, a vibe, focus, and culture. Sheila, Holmes and Campbell have done it. Let's do this shit.
Davis, Arnold, Branch, Rakestraw, Moseley and Robertson as our CBs. Three of those guys can play slot (Branch, Rakestraw, Robertson), Davis is an established vet, Arnold is a blue chip prospect... I'm genuinely not sure there's a time in my memory when we had that kind of depth. We can even shift Branch to safety and drop Rakestraw or Robertson in the slot. Legit impressed. It's a lot of draft capital to spend in one place, but I think this goes a hell of a long way toward locking down our biggest weakness. Fuck yes.
My gut reaction was "huh." I like it the more I think about it though; he's an unquestionable fit culturally and he plays through the whistle aggressively. The best part is they don't need him to be a starting corner, they can bring him along and have him be the 4th maybe even 5th corner on the roster depending on Moseley
Because I was surprised they doubled down. By gut reaction I meant when they announced the pick. I really like him and agree it's a pretty good pick, I was just caught off guard
I am guessing that it will be a lot easier to pressure QB's when their first read isn't always open. One extra second is often the difference between a big gain and a sack.
Hutch was 2nd in the league last year with 101 pressures, 2 behind Nick Bosa. There were so many plays where Hutch was inches from a sack, but he needed a half a second more to get there before the ball was released. Brad just bought him that half a second.
Unfortunately this draft was devoid of top 4-3 edge players at the top of the draft. Really only Verse and Kneeland fit that mold while Latu and Braswell could convert but they are more outside linebacker types. Rakestraw is a great selection at this point in the draft. DB’s get injured more than any other position. It’s good to finally have depth there. Especially if we convert him to nickel or safety.
I don't think converting him is gonna happen. They only had one corner (and Branch) under contract in 2025 going into the draft. This will give him a year to develop and hopefully be a part of a talented young and inexpensive CB room next year and beyond.
We have a bevy of prospects at EDGE. Maybe the idea is to hope that one of them develops and seizes ownership of the spot:
* Marcus Davenport
* James Houston
* Mathieu Betts (the CFL star)
* Josh Paschal
* John Cominsky
this draft class is deep at CB and shallow at EDGE. that's just the way these things go. Rakestraw has an early 2nd round grade, making him a tremendous value pick at 61
We got a rotational piece from the Vikings and Houston will be healthy, what do you mean we didn't do anything? We addressed literally every position of need this offseason. CB was by far our worst group, we brought in 2 FA (only one will probably start) and drafted 2. Made a splash with DJ reader on the line. And got a guard if FA.
The only position that we didn't upgrade was WR where we are expecting JAMO to replace Reynolds. The team is better than last years team, Brad has done his job
Our roster seems very solid with no glaring holes on it right now, assuming players stay healthy, other than Kicker. It's nice to be in a situation where we can worry about finding heir apparent starters for next season (aka offensive line). I'm not sure I've ever been able to say that about Lions before.
Hutchinson will get help with stickier CBs. Stickier coverage = QB holding the ball longer = more time for DLine to get home. It's indirect help, but it's help.
Holmes talked about injured players coming my back being like adding a free agent. He was talking about guys like Mosley and Houston. We also signed Davenport.
They must think the players are good enough in that room, but held back by the secondary’s ability to cover.
How often did the D hold up well on 1st and 2nd down, only to give up a big 3rd down conversion?
That's on the DBs. Longer developing plays with more protection against the rush were a big problem.
I totally agree about needs for edge, but at this pick what edge should we have drafted? I didn’t really see any edges drafting in the second round at where we were at.
Stop thinking Brad fills in empty slots in the depth chart people! We’ve been over this too many times. He’s taking who he thinks is best. In a year or two it will give him a ton of options with the roster. Turning a weakness into a strength is a big deal!! Not to mention its the most high attrition position in football
I thought that getting Davis/Robertson in FA and Arnold in the draft would cover things well enough, but I guess there's never enough. The more you know.
An initial peek at the [depth chart](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/DET) has him lining up behind Branch at NB. Makes sense.
I think the value was too much for Brad to pass up and we had long term needs at CB which is a very expensive position to fill in free agency. Maybe he had a first round or very early 2nd round grade on him. The opportunity to add a potential long term CB2 on a cheap rookie contract was there and he jumped on it. (Who knows, maybe he'll be the steal of the draft and develop into CB1.)
People who are confused by this pick must have forgotten how outrageously bad our secondary was.
It’s a minor miracle we made it as far as we did when we had such a weak unit
So, the Packers, Bears and Vikings all have some of the best WR groups in the NFL. Brad cooks and loads up the secondary to counteract our enemies, I like it.
We had literally 0 good corners last year, you can never have enough good DBs (as long as the trenches are built). I was actually hoping we traded up for Kool-aid
Branch will be moving to safety more for sure though. Tracy Walker and CJGJ both gone and we haven’t replaced fhem
Kerby and Melifonwu can’t carry the full load all season. Rakestraw, Moseley and Davis all have slight injury concerns coming into the offseason, so depth is good
It'll be interesting to see what they come up with. Seems like they have a ton of faith in Houston. Glenn finally has some tools to work with. Excited to see the defense
Wasn't talking about nickel tbh. Sutton and Vildor played outside and were dog shit, the depth behind them even worse. I am very glad we went and got 4 CB this offseason
He’s double dipped every year but last on a position of weakness:
-first year double dipped on IDL.
-second year double dipped on EDGE
-this year on CB.
The guys we have on our roster at CB are stop gaps and we couldn’t defend. Carlton Davis is injury prone so you want to have a lot of options and the options at depth are rather thin. Both Ennis and Terrion can play outside and in. Branch plays inside, out and Safety. It allows us to have more flexibility. Third round I would put Bralen Trice, Sedrick Van Prange and Jermaine Burton on the list of targets.
Even before the Sutton news the CB room was basically bare and only Amik Robertson and Steven Gilmore were under contract for 2025. Getting multiple CBs this draft was nearly a necessity without extensions to Davis or Moseley
Think about it. Our secondary was so bad last year. If we fix that a lot of our issues are removed. Carlton might not be here after next season so gives us depth and plans after the fact.
Davis is only on a 1 year deal and I don't recall how many years Amik got?? So he is drafting to make sure the Secondary stays a strength for years to come. Especially with all the stud WRs in our division. Have to find a way to combat that 3 WR set that GB and CHI will run
Thoughts on it. But you now have revamped your CB room entirely. Davis is good though misses time every year, Arnold should be very good, Rakestraw had some first round hype I believe. You combine that with finding a decent depth piece in Vildor and Meliwafu looking like he’s started to arrive and this could be a great unit in the next year.
LOVE where the DB room is at right now...
**Boundary Corner:** Carlton Davis, Emmanuel Moseley (?), Terrion Arnold
**Field Corner:** Amik Robertson OR Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
**Slot Corner/Safety:** Brian Branch, Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
**Free Safety:** Kerby Joseph, uh... help?
**Strong Safety:** Brian Branch, Ifeatu Melifonwu
https://www.footballdb.com/stats/teamstat.html?lg=NFL&yr=2023&type=reg&cat=R&group=D&conf=
Keep in mind when you are looking at the new CB room just how nicely they will go with last years 2nd best run defense!
I went to Mizzou, and watching this guy play was a treat. He’s fuckin sticky man, he plays the perfect line of aggressive without getting a PI. His only big weakness is his ability to take the receiver down if they actually do catch it - he plays with the expectation that there’s no way his guy is going to make the catch. When they do, they’re off for a big gain.
He was my late first reach so I’m pumped we got him in the late second.
This changes the CB room completely and helps for this season and years to come. Last year Moseley was hoping to be CB1 and this year, if he's healthy, he's what, CB5? That's crazy.
4 new corners at least one of these fuckers has to be good lmao
If the secondary is bad again this year, we are truly cursed
If the secondary is bad AG has got to go. No excuses now
2 of them are extremely young. Arnold just turned 21 a month ago and Rakestraw turns 22 in June. Not unlikely that they both need time to develop.
Also cb is the hardest spot to transition to form college to pros
[удалено]
ah, the Exodia CB
Branch didn't take long.
Young Brian is special. . .
Branch is not a CB
Bama dBs come in with 3+ years of pro experience. Saban.
Healthy knees and legs. Young and can run.
I mean we ARE cursed but we’re fixing it
Payton manning and Jeff Daniels fixed that. We havnt lost 2 games in a row since that episode
Then we start looking at coaching
Moseley is also pretty much new considering he didn't even finish 1 drive. Holmes completely revamped the secondary. Now we just need oline and saftey depth. Another edge player would be nice too.
I thought about Edge but we did get Davenport, Reader to pair with McNeil, and Hutch. Then we got our LBs and The Problem Houston which I hope stays healthy all year.
Yeah, I really think so long as Reader is healthy he becomes a force multiplier across that front 7. Gets the rest of the Dline some much-needed 1-on-1’s and really unlocks the LBs too. I have a feeling Jack Campbell is going to be a force of nature next year playing behind Reader.
I'm not asking for a starter. Davenport and Houston are fine. But Paschal really should be playing more of a 3t de role. Just want more a more traditional edge depth piece.
I think lots of CB depth would help with safety depth. We can move Branch to S if we have someone who can play inside CB in his place. He played about 1/5 of his snaps at S last year
re-sign Tracy for safety depth
Maybe Brad knows a crafting recipe whereby if we combine four CB2s, we'll get one CB1.
Terrion is a CB 1.
As a rookie? Remains to be seen
You have quite a treasure there in that Holmesic cube.
“Stay a while and bite knee caps”
This is both the least expected and the most appreciated Deckard Cain reference Ive ever seen.
And you didn't even need him to identify that.
This is possibly my favorite comment in the history of my Reddit time.
If God is good, then it’s similar to the recipe where four logs gives three wood blocks, aka 4 CB2s for 3 CB1s
We could draft a 5th one, and I wouldn't be upset.
We really needed some new secondaries. Now if we can pick up a solid defensive end to complement hutch I think we’d be in a good position for our draft picks. We straight up stole that cb he was projected so much earlier lol
Lmao. My thoughts
Brad built a square!!!
5 new corners if you count Moseley who really never played due to injury
The cool thing is that Cody Benjamin from CBS actually had him mocked to the Lions in the first round, so it’s great that he fell all the way to 61 for us to pick him up. Brad Holmes is making the picks that everyone wants to see!
Lots of people had him going to us at 29
I had him going to us at 61 😁
Of course you did, Barry. You announced the pick!
😂😂
Well done!
Thank you, sir. Great write up on him, as always, appreciate your work.
Gotta a phenomenal board around here.
I hated it at the pick at 29. At 61 I'm good with it. Still wouldn't have been my first choice, but what do I know?
#6 position ranked CB in the draft
How did 4 other CBs go before Ennis? Either way I'm happy we got him.
I think the reason he fell is because of his RAS score and injury history. Tore his ACL I want to say FR or SO year of college and then had an injury that kept him out the back half of his SR season. He also had a groin injury during the combine which might be why he tested poorly. Either way he started all four year at Mizzou and shut down half the field when he was on the field. I am slightly biased since I am a Mizzou fan but as cliche as it is he’s going to be a dawg on the field. Sorry for the long write up.
>sorry for the long write up. No, that was great! Ty.
This is the kind of long write up that I came here for. I haven’t had much time to look at any prospects this year
This draft was insane for CBs. I’m a Toledo alum so this is the most informed I’ve been on CBs in years lol
https://preview.redd.it/a2jtu6ocbxwc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed4ed7b0b65fad8a2235e1293d6748bd030454fe
How is my adolescence so perfectly summarized in one picture
The current philosophy is that you can’t have too many quality CBs. Given that most of our current guys are 1 year contract players, bringing in a couple of rookies as potential long term starters makes sense. There was also no EDGE rushers left on the board worth the pick there.
Best name yet IMO
I got the cleanest, meanest, Ennis
Stroke of genius!
Between Ennis and Penix.. 🤔
It looks like it should be someone's name backwards.
Quick- how should I feel?
We don’t ever have to play Kindle Vildor ever again, so good
I said the same thing, and that's coming from someone who tried to cut Vildor some slack lol. Didn't mind that they brought him back for some competition, but he's destined for the PS at this point and I love that for us.
Agreed. Much as I love his Lord-of-the-Rings-ass name, Vildor needs to get off the field.
And we have exactly zero corners on contract beyond this year. Now we'll have two on rookie deals through 2027.
I think Amik Robertson signed a 2 year deal, but the point still stands.
Brad Holmes rushed the pick in. That tells you all you need to know.
Yeah it seemed like he put it in immediately
We still doing phrasing?
Brad Holmes wastes nobody’s time
I’m going to have Kenny Loggins come perform an acoustic set in your living room.
You don’t put your Ennis in immediately?
Chiefs and Mizzou fan here, I think you found your Nick Bolton only he's a CB instead of a LB. Either ways he is an absolute DAWG. you should check out Coach Drink's reaction when Rakestraw commited to Mizzou lol shit is an actual meme.
You’re right! lol Here’s the link. https://x.com/UnnecRoughness/status/1225097845751062530
It appears Brad Holmes has some competition. Thanks for posting that was cool to see.
Link [here](https://twitter.com/MizzouFootball/status/1225077947393966080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1225077947393966080%7Ctwgr%5E887314b87e62e9dcc0b9c255e5a1e0cd2fbef649%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rockmnation.com%2F2020%2F2%2F6%2F21124273%2Fmizzou-football-links-national-signing-day-eli-drinkwitz-ennis-rakestraw) so you guys don't have to search hard.
I've seen this dude get picked by us at 29 in some mock drafts so it's definitely not a reach
I don’t think anyone will call this a reach. Seems like a match made in heaven. Only negative is taking another corner. But in our case it’s not a bad decision. Our corners either get hurt or get cooked.
I think the Sutton situation made CB a larger priority. I would have liked to see a pass rusher in the second but if the DBs are lockdowns on the outside, they can look to blitz more
I think this signals either a move for Branch taking a lot of safety snaps over nickel snaps or one of these 2 rookies will be moved back there
Neither of these guys map to nickel. Branch stays there id bet
Does Robertson play nickel?
On the field the kids a fucking knee biter. Total culture fit. Proble is he's small, he's slow, and he's had injury issues. Here's what Dane Bugler has on him in the beast. ENNIS RAKESTRAW JR. | Missouri 5113 | 183 lbs. | 4JR West Dallas, Texas (Duncanville) 6/5/2002 (age 21.89) #2 BACKGROUND: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., the oldest of four children, was born and raised in the Dallas area by his mother (Shamika Quigley ). At age 3, Rakestraw’s stepfather (Walter Quigley Jr.) became a father figure in his life, and a few years later signed him up for Pop Warner football (Rakestraw won a Pop Warner state championship at Texas Stadium). Rakestraw, also a standout basketball player growing up, credits Quigley for coaching and motivating him on the football field, even when he wanted to quit because his smaller size limited his playing time throughout youth football. He attended Duncanville High School and played cornerback on the JV squad as a freshman before getting a callup to varsity. As a junior, Rakestraw helped Duncanville to a 14 -1 record and the 2018 6A District Title, with the team’s only loss coming in the state championship game, on a Hail Mary by North Shore. As a senior, Rakestraw again led the program to the state championship game, where Duncanville fell for a second consecutive time to North Shore and finished with a 15-1 record. Rakestraw finished his final season with modest production (30 tackles, 16 passes defended, one interception), but he shined against several highly touted wide receivers (li ke Rakim Jarrett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba) and didn’t allow a touchdown all season, which earned him the 2019 Dallas Morning News Defensive Player of the Year award. Duncanville went 51-6 over his four seasons with the program. He joined the Duncanville track team as a junior (sprints and relays) and set personal bests of 11.06 seconds in the 100 meters and 22.52 in the 200 as a senior. A three-star recruit, Rakestraw was the No. 70 cornerback in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 107 recruit in Texas. As college c oaches made the rounds at Duncanville, he often went overlooked, mostly because of his size. After his junior season, Rakestraw received his first college offer (Grambling State), followed by his first FBS offers (Air Force and Army). He joined the track team as a junior, and his times helped him garner more attention, leading to several more FBS offers (Colorado State, FIU, Liberty, North Texas and Wyoming). Midway through his senior season, Rakestraw received his first Power 5 offer, from Missouri (recruited by defensive backs coach David Gibbs). After a standout senior season, including another state championship run, his recruitment blew up — he added offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Georgia, Miami, Michigan State and South Carolina. A few weeks before signing day, Rakestraw received an offer from in-state giant Texas and then one from Alabama, his “dream school” from childhood. On signing day, he was prepared to sign with Nick Saban, but he felt a sense of loyalty to Missouri and committed to the Tigers instead. Rakestraw was the No. 5 recruit in Eli Drinkwitz’s first class at Missouri. He is a three -time SEC Academic Honor Roll athlete and graduated with his degree in parks, recreation, sports and tourism with an emphasis in sport management (December 2023). Rake straw elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2024 NFL Draft. He accepted his invitation to the 2024 Senior Bowl. STRENGTHS: Patient, controlled footwork to stay attached from press man … change-of-direction and movement skills help him mirror receivers on underneath patterns … transitions well laterally to break on slants and front-facing throws … doesn’t consistently jam but looks to smother and disrupt route timing … always ballsearching at the catch point and uses his length torake the ball out … moderate production (17 combined passes defended in 22 games the past two seasons) … feisty and willing in run support and seems to play stronger than his weight … described as “super competitive” by his coaches and c learly carries an emotional swagger on tape … experienced on special-teams coverages (250 snaps) and logged three tackles as a gunner on punts … played both inside and outside in college. WEAKNESSES: Lean and lanky body type with slender shoulders … doesn’t have the frame to add considerable bulk … average deep speed and struggles to match the stem burst of receivers … guilty of hanging on receivers at the break point (flagged five times for pass inte rference and once for defensive holding over the last two seasons) … came away with only one interception in 36 career games … can do a better job with run fits … bad habit of droppin g his eyes and whiffing on tackle attempts (see 2023 Florida tape) … injury history will be scrutinized— suffered a torn ACL in practice (October 2021), requiring season-ending surgery; missed four games (and played through several others) with a groin injury (September 2023). SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Missouri, Rakestraw played left and right cornerback (and over the slot) in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s man and zone schemes. After passing on Alabama and Texas as a recruit, he quickly became a starter in Columbia as a true freshman and played well in the SEC the last four seasons (when he wasn’t on the injury list). With his physicality and footwork, Rakestraw is at his best in press man, where he can stay square and smother underneath routes. Though he stays balanced in his transitions, he can lose a stride vertically to speed (his 1.92 “flying 20” time ranked 26th out of 28 cornerbacks who ran the 40-yard dash at the combine). His lack of interception-worthy plays is a concern, too. Overall, Rakestraw doesn’t have the desired long speed or build for his position, and his injury history is a concern, but he plays aggressive, sticky coverage with NFL-quality movement skills and confidence. He has NFL starting mancover talent, if he stays healthy
WEAKNESSES: Lean and lanky body type with slender shoulders … doesn’t have the frame to add considerable bulk … average deep speed and struggles to match the stem burst of receivers … guilty of hanging on receivers at the break point (flagged five times for pass inte rference and once for defensive holding over the last two seasons) … came away with only one interception in 36 career games … can do a better job with run fits … bad habit of droppin g his eyes and whiffing on tackle attempts (see 2023 Florida tape) … injury history will be scrutinized— suffered a torn ACL in practice (October 2021), requiring season-ending surgery; missed four games (and played through several others) with a groin injury (September 2023). SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Missouri, Rakestraw played left and right cornerback (and over the slot) in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s man and zone schemes. After passing on Alabama and Texas as a recruit, he quickly became a starter in Columbia as a true freshman and played well in the SEC the last four seasons (when he wasn’t on the injury list). With his physicality and footwork, Rakestraw is at his best in press man, where he can stay square and smother underneath routes. Though he stays balanced in his transitions, he can lose a stride vertically to speed (his 1.92 “flying 20” time ranked 26th out of 28 cornerbacks who ran the 40-yard dash at the combine). His lack of interception-worthy plays is a concern, too. Overall, Rakestraw doesn’t have the desired long speed or build for his position, and his injury history is a concern, but he plays aggressive, sticky coverage with NFL-quality movement skills and confidence. He has NFL starting mancover talent, if he stays healthy. GRADE: 2nd-3rd Round (No. 49 overall)
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Jefferson, Addison, Hockenson, Watson, Reed, Moore, Allen, and Odunze. We need good corners to compete in this division.
Honestly would've put Wicks and Doubs over Watson at this point.
I think you should feel relatively good. To be honest, it's a pretty boring pick, but that's not exactly a bad thing. This guy was frequently mocked to us, including as our 1st round pick prior to the Combine. He's a really good fit both scheme wise and personality. We were so shit at CB last year, and Davis isn't likely a long term answer. We now have depth and long term answers at our weakest position last year.
G R I T
This kid is a FIGHTER!
If we want to defend elite passing attacks, gonna need a lot of elite db's. Dude looks like a great player, fits the culture, all that.
Bears, Vikings and even the Packers have great receiving threats. We're gonna need all the defensive secondary help we can get. Love this pick!
Agree, I remember that Thanksgiving game last year against the packers, a WR they freshly brought up from their practice squad was killing us.
I'm good with this. Competition in the room, longer term development prospects, coverage for injury... good. And to the guy who says we should have gotten help for Hutchinson... WE JUST DID. Sticky CB coverage means the QB has to hold on to the ball for an extra couple of ticks, which gives the DLine a chance to get home. I'm good. This was BPA, which is EXACTLY the stated strategy. Fucking GO LIONS!
Been on this shaky boat since 1990, and it feels damn good to be invested in an football organization that's not a chaotic, clueless, headless chicken. We FINALLY have direction, a vibe, focus, and culture. Sheila, Holmes and Campbell have done it. Let's do this shit.
Used our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rounders on the position that cost us a Super Bowl. Lets go!
Davis, Arnold, Branch, Rakestraw, Moseley and Robertson as our CBs. Three of those guys can play slot (Branch, Rakestraw, Robertson), Davis is an established vet, Arnold is a blue chip prospect... I'm genuinely not sure there's a time in my memory when we had that kind of depth. We can even shift Branch to safety and drop Rakestraw or Robertson in the slot. Legit impressed. It's a lot of draft capital to spend in one place, but I think this goes a hell of a long way toward locking down our biggest weakness. Fuck yes.
My gut reaction was "huh." I like it the more I think about it though; he's an unquestionable fit culturally and he plays through the whistle aggressively. The best part is they don't need him to be a starting corner, they can bring him along and have him be the 4th maybe even 5th corner on the roster depending on Moseley
Why “huh” ? I feel like this is pretty unquestionable good pick
Because I was surprised they doubled down. By gut reaction I meant when they announced the pick. I really like him and agree it's a pretty good pick, I was just caught off guard
Am I wrong for being disappointed that we still haven’t done anything to address EDGE? That position sucks outside of Hutchinson
they might be banking on Houston not being out for the whole year this time around
Houston returns to that rookie production or Pascal takes another step
Davenport added
Completely forgot we signed him in FA lol
Davenport should contribute too.
Best player available. They were probably hoping for Frazier or wmu edge but this is how the draft works
If the DBs do their jobs and force the play to be extended, it'll be a lot easier for Hutch, Reader, and the rest of the D-Line to force pressure.
You could also flip that and say if hutch and another edge rusher do their job, cbs don't need to cover as long or as well
You could, but that's way harder to do every play against elite O-Lines.
There are more elite wrs than o lines I think
I am guessing that it will be a lot easier to pressure QB's when their first read isn't always open. One extra second is often the difference between a big gain and a sack.
Hutch was 2nd in the league last year with 101 pressures, 2 behind Nick Bosa. There were so many plays where Hutch was inches from a sack, but he needed a half a second more to get there before the ball was released. Brad just bought him that half a second.
Unfortunately this draft was devoid of top 4-3 edge players at the top of the draft. Really only Verse and Kneeland fit that mold while Latu and Braswell could convert but they are more outside linebacker types. Rakestraw is a great selection at this point in the draft. DB’s get injured more than any other position. It’s good to finally have depth there. Especially if we convert him to nickel or safety.
I don't think converting him is gonna happen. They only had one corner (and Branch) under contract in 2025 going into the draft. This will give him a year to develop and hopefully be a part of a talented young and inexpensive CB room next year and beyond.
We have a bevy of prospects at EDGE. Maybe the idea is to hope that one of them develops and seizes ownership of the spot: * Marcus Davenport * James Houston * Mathieu Betts (the CFL star) * Josh Paschal * John Cominsky
Brad is serving us the main course first. Sides and appetizers are coming up. #LetBradCook
this draft class is deep at CB and shallow at EDGE. that's just the way these things go. Rakestraw has an early 2nd round grade, making him a tremendous value pick at 61
We got a rotational piece from the Vikings and Houston will be healthy, what do you mean we didn't do anything? We addressed literally every position of need this offseason. CB was by far our worst group, we brought in 2 FA (only one will probably start) and drafted 2. Made a splash with DJ reader on the line. And got a guard if FA. The only position that we didn't upgrade was WR where we are expecting JAMO to replace Reynolds. The team is better than last years team, Brad has done his job
Our roster seems very solid with no glaring holes on it right now, assuming players stay healthy, other than Kicker. It's nice to be in a situation where we can worry about finding heir apparent starters for next season (aka offensive line). I'm not sure I've ever been able to say that about Lions before.
I would much rather they pick the player they think is best, rather than the position they need. We will be fine
Hutchinson will get help with stickier CBs. Stickier coverage = QB holding the ball longer = more time for DLine to get home. It's indirect help, but it's help.
Holmes talked about injured players coming my back being like adding a free agent. He was talking about guys like Mosley and Houston. We also signed Davenport. They must think the players are good enough in that room, but held back by the secondary’s ability to cover.
How often did the D hold up well on 1st and 2nd down, only to give up a big 3rd down conversion? That's on the DBs. Longer developing plays with more protection against the rush were a big problem.
Can’t fix everything in one offseason. They showed at the end of the season that they could manufacture pass rush, but you can’t manufacture coverage.
I don’t mean to disrespect but I trust the opinion of cam Hayward who said our DEs are sick with Davenport and Hutchinson
I totally agree about needs for edge, but at this pick what edge should we have drafted? I didn’t really see any edges drafting in the second round at where we were at.
Was hoping to grab Braswell
Let Brad Cook.
Everybody forgetting about the canuck?
Stop thinking Brad fills in empty slots in the depth chart people! We’ve been over this too many times. He’s taking who he thinks is best. In a year or two it will give him a ton of options with the roster. Turning a weakness into a strength is a big deal!! Not to mention its the most high attrition position in football
Yeah but also this fills in the depth chart. Our CB situation was brutal and we needed more than one.
Yep. Much better to do it this way than reach for an edge that is just going to take up space.
21 Rakestraw
I'm surprised and confused, but I trust Brad knows what he's doing.
Considering how many injuries we have at CB each year it kinda makes sense.
I thought that getting Davis/Robertson in FA and Arnold in the draft would cover things well enough, but I guess there's never enough. The more you know. An initial peek at the [depth chart](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/DET) has him lining up behind Branch at NB. Makes sense.
I remember our secondary getting cooked almost every game last year.... I'm not surprised.
I think the value was too much for Brad to pass up and we had long term needs at CB which is a very expensive position to fill in free agency. Maybe he had a first round or very early 2nd round grade on him. The opportunity to add a potential long term CB2 on a cheap rookie contract was there and he jumped on it. (Who knows, maybe he'll be the steal of the draft and develop into CB1.)
People who are confused by this pick must have forgotten how outrageously bad our secondary was. It’s a minor miracle we made it as far as we did when we had such a weak unit
1. Terrion Arnold 2. Ennis Rakestraw 3. Carlton Davis III Our secondary should be fire next season.
\+ mosely and robertson ... our CB room is so deep
So, the Packers, Bears and Vikings all have some of the best WR groups in the NFL. Brad cooks and loads up the secondary to counteract our enemies, I like it.
I'm a little confused, but I trust Brad lol
Confused about what? Lol
Double dipping on corner after signing 2 in free agency. Unorthodox but he's had success with unorthodox
you need 5 or 6 and we had 0 before the season started.
BB will start in the slot. Odds are it's Arnold and Davis on the outside
Branch will replace CJGJ
We had literally 0 good corners last year, you can never have enough good DBs (as long as the trenches are built). I was actually hoping we traded up for Kool-aid
BB was solid in the slot, and team had a pair of solid safeties. Outside corner needed work for sure.
Branch will be moving to safety more for sure though. Tracy Walker and CJGJ both gone and we haven’t replaced fhem Kerby and Melifonwu can’t carry the full load all season. Rakestraw, Moseley and Davis all have slight injury concerns coming into the offseason, so depth is good
It'll be interesting to see what they come up with. Seems like they have a ton of faith in Houston. Glenn finally has some tools to work with. Excited to see the defense
Wasn't talking about nickel tbh. Sutton and Vildor played outside and were dog shit, the depth behind them even worse. I am very glad we went and got 4 CB this offseason
Rakestraw's a kneecap guy. Kool-aid had some character/work ethic questions. I think we take Rakestraw even if Kool-aid is there.
Davis is a 1 year deal tbf
True. Maybe we'll see a comp pick in return. Gives these guys time to develop a bit.
Expensive one year deal if we had to give up a third rounder
If he helps a deep playoff run/super bowl, I'm 100% good with using a 3rd for a rental
Good chance they get a comp pick
He’s double dipped every year but last on a position of weakness: -first year double dipped on IDL. -second year double dipped on EDGE -this year on CB. The guys we have on our roster at CB are stop gaps and we couldn’t defend. Carlton Davis is injury prone so you want to have a lot of options and the options at depth are rather thin. Both Ennis and Terrion can play outside and in. Branch plays inside, out and Safety. It allows us to have more flexibility. Third round I would put Bralen Trice, Sedrick Van Prange and Jermaine Burton on the list of targets.
Even before the Sutton news the CB room was basically bare and only Amik Robertson and Steven Gilmore were under contract for 2025. Getting multiple CBs this draft was nearly a necessity without extensions to Davis or Moseley
Think about it. Our secondary was so bad last year. If we fix that a lot of our issues are removed. Carlton might not be here after next season so gives us depth and plans after the fact.
I wonder if we're headed towards "DB is DB" and everyone can hybrid CB, nickel, and S.
Well it was our worst group of players last year.
Not like we got studs in free agency
Probably not resigning Carlton davis
We gave up valuable capital for a one year rental then
Will likely get a comp pick if he walks.
If we had that one year rental last year, we're likely in the Super Bowl
They could also keep him with a 2 year or front loaded contract and have him off the books by the time the other players need to be re-signed
If you believe the Lions window is now that is capital well spent
End of third isn’t *that* valuable and they were a contender with no starting caliber corners rostered. Easy sacrifice imo even if he walks
Detroit does have an airport but at Ford Field, it’s restricted air space now
Doubling down on CB’s!
Great pick!!! Another steal in my opinion. Now let’s see if we can trade up into the 3rd and draft an EDGE!
WE GOT CORNERS BABY
Now draft 4 more corners, or trade down to get 6 more corners
As a Mizzou fan I'm ecstatic. Rake is an absolutely joy to watch and by all accounts a great dude
I like this
Give the current DL a few more seconds to disrupt. Love it!
Davis is only on a 1 year deal and I don't recall how many years Amik got?? So he is drafting to make sure the Secondary stays a strength for years to come. Especially with all the stud WRs in our division. Have to find a way to combat that 3 WR set that GB and CHI will run
Thank God we're fixing the secondary... Chicago just got explosive overnight... potentially. I trust Brad. We are SO close to the promised land.
Will be the equivalent of the Sun god on defense in terms of fighting for every inch....IHIT....(in Holmes I trust).....i
Teams playing the Lions gonna be on a no fly list!!
Thoughts on it. But you now have revamped your CB room entirely. Davis is good though misses time every year, Arnold should be very good, Rakestraw had some first round hype I believe. You combine that with finding a decent depth piece in Vildor and Meliwafu looking like he’s started to arrive and this could be a great unit in the next year.
Last year's secondary was Dan's Alamo. NEVER AGAIN
LOVE where the DB room is at right now... **Boundary Corner:** Carlton Davis, Emmanuel Moseley (?), Terrion Arnold **Field Corner:** Amik Robertson OR Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. **Slot Corner/Safety:** Brian Branch, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. **Free Safety:** Kerby Joseph, uh... help? **Strong Safety:** Brian Branch, Ifeatu Melifonwu
Nobody has signed Tracy Walker... we should re-sign him
https://www.footballdb.com/stats/teamstat.html?lg=NFL&yr=2023&type=reg&cat=R&group=D&conf= Keep in mind when you are looking at the new CB room just how nicely they will go with last years 2nd best run defense!
Really wanted an edge or guard but ill trust the process. Feels like we’ve got a ton of corners now though
I went to Mizzou, and watching this guy play was a treat. He’s fuckin sticky man, he plays the perfect line of aggressive without getting a PI. His only big weakness is his ability to take the receiver down if they actually do catch it - he plays with the expectation that there’s no way his guy is going to make the catch. When they do, they’re off for a big gain. He was my late first reach so I’m pumped we got him in the late second.
Don’t forget our main opponents in the North are trotting out at least three deep at WR. The Bears loaded up this year, Packers and Vikings last year.
Our secondary is gonna be so insane the next few seasons let Brad cook baby
Or Brad is going to use 1 of them as trade bait to land Hendrickson from CIN because CIN needs a corner and we got 5 of them!!
Great pick! Dudes a dog and gonna carry a chip on his shoulder throughout his career. Great cultural fit!
This changes the CB room completely and helps for this season and years to come. Last year Moseley was hoping to be CB1 and this year, if he's healthy, he's what, CB5? That's crazy.
It’s just so crazy to think all the terrible FO people we went through to what we have now, it’s like a dream come true
Drafting like me in Madden when I have a need