Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB Missouri: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Rakestraw was a three-star recruit from Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas in the class of 2020

Missouri Tigers cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. has picked up plenty of steam in the media recently. The redshirt junior checks plenty of boxes. While Rakestraw isn’t an elite cornerback prospect, his floor appears to be the second round in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB Missouri: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt junior outside cornerback from West Dallas, Texas

Background: Rakestraw was a three-star recruit from Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas in the class of 2020. He was the No. 896 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 927 for On3.com. Rakestraw was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, his team’s defense only allowed eight points per game, and he didn’t surrender a touchdown in coverage. Rakestraw helped Duncanville make back-to-back 6A Division I State Championship Game appearances.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed nine games with a torn ACL in 2021, dealt with a groin injury in 2022 that caused him to miss Arkansas, Kentucky, & Memphis games and part of the LSU game

Awards: 2021 SEC Academic Honor Roll, 2022 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, experience playing out wide and in the slot, arm length should meet NFL thresholds, appears to have above-average athletic ability, physical in press coverage with quick punches, good hand placement to jam receivers, physicality vs. inside releases slows receivers dramatically, drives outside releases into the sideline, closing burst, uses speed and length to undercut crossing and drag routes, low and patient backpedal, speed to carry receivers vertically out of press, maintains advantageous leverage and stays in-phase on vertical routes, stays attached at the top of the stem, times contact at the catch point well, anticipates routes out of zone coverage, avoids coverage busts in zone, range in coverage, quick to trigger downhill on wide receiver screens, willing to get physical and take on perimeter blockers, resilient to bounce off blocks and continue pursuing the ball, willing and physical run defender, good effort, power and violence as a tackler

Cons: Lean frame, committed seven penalties over the past two years, physicality will draw more flags in the NFL, gets grabby at the stem’s top when he doesn’t need to, allows some separation at the stem’s top when he doesn’t grab, some stiffness in hips limits ability to redirect and close on comeback and curl routes, late to stop backpedal and trigger from off-man, slow transitioning from half-turn to forward drive, punch placement and power can be inconsistent, receivers with top-level physicality can bump him off his coverage, strength to defeat blocks thrown by larger opponents comes and goes, instances when he tries to tackle with shoulders instead of wrapping up

Overview: Rakestraw has special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He primarily aligns on the outside for Missouri but also has plenty of experience playing in the slot. His arm length should meet NFL thresholds. Rakestraw has a lean frame but punches above his listed weight and showcases above-average athletic traits. Missouri’s website lists the redshirt junior at 188 lbs., but back in September, Senior Bowl Director Jim Nagy estimated he weighs closer to 176 lbs. Despite questions or concerns about his weight, Rakestraw is extremely physical in press coverage with quick, violent punches. He generally has good hand placement to jam receivers, but his punch placement and power still have room to improve. He suffers from the occasional miss where his punch either is high over the inside shoulder or slides off the receiver’s pads. Rakestraw’s physicality against inside releases dramatically slows down the receiver to the point that the route becomes useless. He drives outside releases into the sideline. The former three-star recruit uses his impressive speed, closing burst, and length to undercut crossing and drag routes. He also has the speed to carry receivers vertically out of press coverage. Rakestraw excels at maintaining inside leverage on most routes, creating opportunities for him to break under them for pass breakups. He stays in phase on vertical routes with excellent technique to deter quarterbacks from targeting his man. The Texas native stays attached at the top of the stem and times his contact at the catch point well. However, he frequently gets grabby at the stem’s top, even when he doesn’t need to. This level of physicality will draw more flags in the NFL. Rakestraw allows some separation on sharp in-breaking routes when he doesn’t grab the receiver. He struggles with comeback and curl routes the most. Rakestraw deals with some stiffness in his hips and technique issues that limit his ability to stop, redirect, and close when the receiver works back down the route stem. These issues also lead to him being late to stop backpedaling and trigger from off-man coverage and make him slow transitioning from his half-turn to forward drive. Rakestraw has a low and patient backpedal but seems more comfortable working in a half-turn. He anticipates route combinations out of zone coverage to lockdown one-on-one matchups or transition between multiple routes. Rakestraw’s speed and burst give him impressive range in coverage. He is quick to trigger downhill on wide receiver screens and is willing to challenge perimeter blockers against the run. Rakestraw bounces off blocks and redirects to the ball carrier. He is a willing and physical run defender who tackles with ideal effort and power. However, stronger wide receivers can displace him with stalk blocks, and he doesn’t always have the strength to defeat blockers. This also carries over to the passing game, where large receivers can bump Rakestraw off his coverage path.

Overall, Rakestraw is a physical cornerback who thrives in press coverage but also has the speed and agility to carry receivers vertically or stick with them through complex routes. He pushes physicality to the limit at times, which will result in more penalties at the NFL level. Rakestraw needs to prove he can still be a lockdown cornerback after toning down his mid-route grabbiness.

Role & Scheme Fit: Cover 1 outside corner with scheme and slot versatility

Round Projection: Second Round

Size: 6'0", 188 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 12-20-23