Detroit Lions need CB help in NFL draft; why Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw could be a fit

The Detroit Lions had a cornerback problem last season, and it's something they need to address this spring.

Cam Sutton had a disappointing first year in Detroit, though he was partially a victim of circumstance, being asked to cover opposing No. 1 receivers on an island when the Lions leaned heavily on the blitz.

Emmanuel Moseley played two snaps before his knee gave out. Jerry Jacobs lost his starting job midway through the year. And while Kindle Vildor proved capable in his late-season cameo, he, Moseley, Jacobs and backup Will Harris all will be free agents next month.

The Lions have snaps available in their secondary, and the best way to fill them is by signing one of the top two cornerbacks on the free-agent market. Jaylon Johnson is an emerging star with the Chicago Bears, a player I voted first-team All-Pro in 2023, and L'Jarius Sneed was the second-best defensive player on a Kansas City Chiefs team that just won its second straight Super Bowl.

The problem is both Johnson and Sneed will command multi-year big-money contracts if they even make it to free agency – the franchise tag should be in play with both players – and Lions general manager Brad Holmes has indicated his team won't be major players in free agency this spring.

The Lions may sign a cornerback. A veteran like Stephon Gilmore, who'll get a short-term deal (and may want to play with his brother, Steven, in Detroit) and is coming off a strong season, seems like a good fit.

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But they have wisely earmarked their money to keep their own young nucleus intact.

That means the Lions likely won't be lavishing big contracts on outside help, which leaves the draft as the primary vehicle for them to address their secondary.

For the first time since 2018, the Lions will not enter the draft with a top-10 pick. They won't land everyone's best offensive lineman or everyone-but-the-Jacksonville-Jaguars' best defensive end, but with the 29th pick of the first round, they still should be in position to get long-term help for their beleaguered secondary.

"I’m looking at it right now and I have six corners with a first-round grade, so we could see a run on the corner position most definitely," ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller said in a conference call Tuesday. "It is a year in which I think there are a lot of teams that have a need at corner, and then there are a lot of corners who are really good players. So the matchup this year of need versus value is really special at corner."

There are no blue-chip cornerback prospects this year who project as top-five picks, but rather a handful of really good players who could come off the board in the middle to bottom half of Round 1. Some are big (Clemson's Nate Wiggins), some are versatile (Iowa's Cooper DeJean), some have shown exceptional playmaking ability (Alabama's Terrion Arnold), some may be best suited for the slot (Georgia's Kamari Lassiter) and others just seem built for the Lions.

That was the case with Illinois' Devon Witherspoon last year, who went one pick before the Lions were on the clock at No. 6. And that's the case with Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw Jr. now.

Rakestraw had one interception in 36 games, missed most of the 2021 season with a torn ACL, and played through a core muscle injury that required surgery last season. He doesn't come without his risks as a player.

But he's a feisty press corner and a willing run defender who put out good tape for most of his career. He fits a glaring need for the Lions. And he appears, from afar, to have some of the intangible factors Holmes and his scouting staff have made such a high priority in the roster-building process.

"The fact that he played almost all year with a core muscle injury that he had surgery for in December, that just speaks to toughness for me," Miller said. "So yeah, if you’re looking for a prototypical Detroit Lion-type player, I think that physicality at the line of scrimmage, he is a great tackler in space as well, especially for not being the biggest guy. He’s probably going to come in at like 6 foot, 190 pounds, maybe 195 if we’re lucky. Is not a striking physical player when you’re just looking at height, weight, strength, but man, he absolutely plays as one of the most physical corners in this draft or in any draft.

"He’s right there with some of the best corners I’ve evaluated at playing near the line of scrimmage and using that physicality."

I had a scout remind me years ago that teams don't draft cornerbacks because they're good run defenders. Have too many of those and opponents will never feel the need to run the ball.

But Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has long subscribed to the theory that a defense gets its toughness from its little guys, and there's no question Rakestraw would bring that to Detroit.

Beyond his toughness, though, Rakestraw is a very good pass defender, and Miller pointed to one game in particular last season to make that point.

"I go back and watch the LSU game all the time," Miller said. "LSU’s offense, absolutely crushed everybody they played. They threw at him one time and it was incomplete and they never went back at him again the rest of the game despite having Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas, who are probably going to be top-20 picks, both of them. So I think that speaks to his reputation, how talented he is that you’re going to throw at a savvy veteran like Kris Abrams-Draine on the other side instead of challenging Rakestraw."

We're two months from the draft, and I'm just digging into the process now. It's possible Rakestraw checks out healthy at the NFL combine next week and leaves Indianapolis a surefire top-20 pick.

I think the Lions need long-term help at cornerback, and I think the draft is the place to get it. They should have options at No. 29, and while Holmes won't ever force a pick just to fill a position, Rakestraw checks all the boxes of being a scheme and personnel fit.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Missouri CB Ennis Rakestraw a 'prototypical Detroit Lion-type player'