ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions added another cornerback when they selected Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (Missouri) in the second round (61st overall) of the NFL Draft in Detroit on Friday night. The Lions drafted CB Terrion Arnold (Alabama) in the first round on Thursday night.
By taking Arnold and Rakestraw, the Lions have now selected a cornerback with their first two picks of a given draft for the first time in the Super Bowl era.
“We didn’t go into it saying we were going to get two corners in the first two rounds,” GM Brad Holmes said on Friday night. It worked out because they were the best players available, adding that he wouldn’t reach for a corner.
The Lions also acquired veteran corners Amik Robertson and Carlton Davis in the offseason, boosting the competition level.
“It’s a bloodbath in there now. It is and that’s what makes everything better,’’ Holmes said. “It makes the room better, it makes the defense better, makes the team better. Competition brings the best out of everybody.
Rakestraw said during a conference call that the two actually made their top 30 visits to the Lions at the same time. The two SEC corners had met and got along when they were working out at the NFL Combine. He said the two of them can be a force to be reckoned with in Detroit’s future.
Rakestraw, the 61st overall pick, played in nine games last season (his redshirt junior year) with eight starts at Missouri. In his four seasons at Missouri, he had one interception, 24 pass deflections and 107 total tackles.
Rakestraw, who is 5-11 and 183 pounds, has told reporters he was born with a chip on his shoulder. He was always told he was too small but they didn’t know how big his heart was. He was once turned away for an offseason camp during high school because he was too small. That snub drove him harder to work on his craft. In his senior year of high school he weighted 154 pounds.
“I’m in the best fit for me as possible. I’m going to prove the Lions are right and everybody else is wrong,” Rakestraw said.
Holmes said the two corners have different personalities.
“Ennis is actually different. You feel the confidence. Me and Dan (Campbell) sitting there talking to him, I felt ‘dog’ exuding out of him,’’ Holmes said. “(He’s) a lot more quiet, to the point, to the business, not as loud and a vivid personality like Terrion.
“We’re just thrilled cause they’re all the same in terms of they both fit us like a glove, they’re both gritty, physical, they’re both challenge mentality guys,’’ Holmes added.
Lance Zierlein, analyst for NFL.com, on Rakestraw: “He 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 was projected as a second-round pick.
“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. He intercepted only one pass during his college career, which could be a concern, but his willingness and toughness in run support work in his favor. Rakestraw could become a good backup with eventual starter potential in the right scheme,’’ Zierlein reported.
Rakestraw was the only Lions’ pick on Friday.
Saturday is the third and final day of the 2024 NFL Draft with rounds 4-7 starting at noon. The Lions have a fifth-round pick (164 overall), two sixth-round picks (201, 205) and a seventh-round (249).
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