The weakness of last year's Lions team is looking more and more like a strength. A night after drafting Terrion Arnold in the first round, the Lions took fellow cornerback Ennis Rakestraw in the second, 61st overall, on Friday night.
Rakestraw gives the Lions a third high-level talent at a position where they lacked playmakers last season, with the two rookies joining veteran trade acquisition Carlton Davis III. They also signed Amik Robertson. The makeover was needed after Detroit allowed the most air yards and second most yards per pass in the NFL last year.
A long, athletic defender, Rakestraw is coming off two standout seasons at Missouri. He's been compared to former Lions cornerback Darius Slay by NFL Network analyst and former scout Daniel Jeremiah, who noted that Rakestraw is "built similarly to Slay, really, really tough, feisty, can press you, plays with a ton of energy, which I love ... Just a passionate, energetic dude. But real fluid, real fast, real tough."
Rakestraw didn't rack up huge stats at Missoui, in part because opposing teams rarely threw at him. He saw just 28 targets in coverage last season, per Pro Football Focus, and only one when Missouri faced LSU quarterback and second overall pick Jayden Daniels and his cast of talented receivers. LSU won the game by avoiding Rakestraw at all costs.
"He has really, really good eyes," said Jeremiah. "He can play the ball."
Rakestraw was also one of PFF's highest-graded corners in defending the run last season. He's not afraid to get physical, which is valued in Aaron Glenn's defense and in the attitude Dan Campbell has instilled in the Lions. Rakestraw had three forced fumbles and 5.5 tackles for loss the last two seasons.
"In terms of the feistiness and toughness and aggressiveness that he plays with, the energy and passion that he plays with, yeah, he fits 100 percent with Detroit," said Jeremiah.
The Lions were torched in the air last season. With Davis, Robertson, Arnold and Rakestraw, they should put out the fire.
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