Kris Abrams-Draine, CB Missouri: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Abrams-Draine was a four-star wide receiver recruit from Spanish Fort High School in Spanish Fort, Ala. in the class of 2020

Kris Abrams-Draine committed to Missouri as a wide receiver after other programs passed on him because of a torn meniscus. Abrams-Draine is now one of the best cornerbacks in the SEC and is on the doorstep of a top 70 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Kris Abrams-Draine, CB Missouri: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior defensive back from Mobile, Ala.

Background: Abrams-Draine was a four-star wide receiver recruit from Spanish Fort High School in Spanish Fort, Ala. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 421 recruit (three-star) according to 247Sports and No. 371 (four-star) for On3.com. Abrams-Draine was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked four-star recruit for ESPN with an 80 grade out of 100. He originally committed to LSU before flipping to Ole Miss. Abrams-Draine later changed his mind again, committing to Missouri. In high school, he led Spanish Fort to an Alabama Class 6A state championship game appearance. Abrams-Draine was AL.com’s Coastal Player of the Year, finished second in the ASWA All-State Super 12, and was the runner-up for Mr. Football in Alabama. He transitioned from wide receiver to quarterback as a high school senior, passing for 723 yards and nine touchdowns and rushing for 1,745 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also added two pick-sixes on defense and returned kicks and punts on special teams. According to MaxPreps, Abrams-Draine made 55 receptions for 903 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior. He converted from wide receiver to defensive back ahead of his sophomore season at Missouri.

Injuries & Off-Field: Had surgery for a torn meniscus in 2019, missed 2022 Florida game

Awards: N/A

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, returned kicks in 2021 and 2022, starting experience working outside and in the slot, significant exposure to man and zone concepts, arm length appears to check the box, mostly fluid hips, instinctive coverage corner, compresses outside releases along the sideline, improved use of leverage from 2021 to 2022, willing to be aggressive and engulf or jam receivers early in their routes, jams receivers at the top of their stems, smoothly transitions from off-man into phase, stays attached on crossers and rub routes, impressive vision and awareness in zone, processing in zone coverages, communicates to pass off routes and prioritize threats in zone, works well with his teammates in zone, reads the quarterback’s eyes in zone coverage, good anticipation to close on and undercut short routes, quickly plants and drives out of his backpedal or half turn, active and combative at the catch point, crowds the receiver at the catch point, goes for pass breakups when he blitzes, ball tracking, quality ball production in 2021 and 2022, makes tackles on screens and outside runs, rarely slides off or fails to complete tackles

Cons: Committed nine penalties over the past two years, small frame, very lean, play strength will become a concern, doesn’t appear to have elite speed, stacked by speedsters when he lines up near the LOS, speedsters threaten to overtake him in off-man, long acceleration and recovery speed don’t move the needle, allows too much cushion in off-man, footwork is flat or staggered at times, gets grabby when trying to mirror more athletic receivers, grabs and pulls on the WR which will draw flags at the next level, punches in press could be more impactful, struggles to stack and shed blocks, dives low for tackles to cutdown bigger players, appetite for coming downhill in run defense is hot and cold, takes poor angles to the football

Overview: Abrams-Draine is a significant special teams contributor with experience on the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He even returned kicks for the Tigers in 2021 and 2022. Abrams-Draine began his college career as a wide receiver before transitioning to slot defender for his sophomore season. Missouri moved him to outside corner in 2022. Abrams-Draine gained significant exposure to both man and zone concepts over those two seasons of starting time and quickly developed into an instinctive coverage corner. He has a small and lean frame, but his arm length appears to meet NFL thresholds. Abrams-Draine isn’t the loosest athlete, but his hips are mostly fluid. The Alabama native improved his use of leverage in 2022 and spent more time playing in phase than during his sophomore year. Despite his size and questionable play strength, he is aggressive and jams receivers early in their routes. Abrams-Draine compresses outside releases along the sideline and jams receivers at the tops of their stems. He smoothly transitions from off-man coverage to working in phase and stays attached on crossers and rub routes. Abrams-Draine is less physical in zone coverage but displays high-level processing. His vision and awareness are impressive, and he frequently communicates with teammates pre- and post-snap to pass along coverage assignments and ensure there are no gaps in coverage. Abrams-Draine reads the quarterback’s eyes in zone coverage to cut off preferred targets. The former four-star recruit shows good anticipation to close on and undercut short routes from both off-man and zone coverage. He quickly plants and drives out of his backpedal or half turn to shut down short passes. Abrams-Draine is a bully at the catch point. He’s combative and crowds the receiver, using his physicality and excellent ball skills to generate consistent ball production. Abrams-Draine makes tackles on screens and outside runs and rarely fails to complete a tackle. However, he isn’t an eager run defender, and he takes poor angles to the football. The senior’s play strength makes it difficult for him to drive through ball carriers, so he usually goes low. Abrams-Draine doesn’t stack and shed blocks consistently. While he isn’t aggressive against the run, Abrams-Draine is very physical in coverage. Perhaps too physical. He committed nine penalties in 2021 and 2022 combined and will draw even more flags in the NFL. He grabs, pulls, and hugs wide receivers too often. Cleaning up his footwork so he’s less flat-footed will help fix this issue. Abrams-Draine will need to be more disciplined with his hands when trying to mirror more athletic receivers to avoid holding or pass interference calls. He can also improve his punch stiffness and timing in press to jam receivers early in the route and guard against getting stacked. Abrams-Draine’s speed and ability to stick with receivers vertically are questionable. He doesn’t appear to have ideal acceleration or recovery speed on long runs. This leads to him being stacked by receivers when he lines up near the line of scrimmage to start the play. Abrams-Draine leaves a large cushion in off-man coverage but is still occasionally overtaken.

Overall, Abrams-Draine is a physical corner with exceptional ball skills who quickly developed his instincts and processing after making a position change early in his college career. Physical limitations, such as his deep speed and size, remain his biggest roadblocks as a prospect. Abrams-Draine could survive in a blended coverage defense in the NFL, but a zone-heavy scheme would maximize his mental traits while minimizing his physical concerns.

Role & Scheme Fit: Slot defender with outside versatility in a zone-heavy scheme

Round Projection: Late Second to Early Third

Size: 5'11", 178 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 06-08-23