Ennis Rakestraw Jr. CB Missouri: Scouting Report

Height: 6’0

Weight: 188

Overall

Ennis Rakestraw Jr. is a physical corner in Missouri’s hybrid defense. He suffered a Torn ACL that ended his Freshman season early and he played through a core muscle injury this past year which he then had surgery to repair in December. In his 4 seasons with the Tigers, he played in 36 games, starting 32 of them. He played both on the outside and in the slot on film and projects best as a slot corner at the next level with his quick feet and lack of size. Even with his injuries in college, he had good production in breaking up passes and played very well against high quality talent.

Pass Game

In the pass game, Rakestraw has good footwork off the line of scrimmage and shows good physicality in press coverage. He needs to clean up his false steps in his initial back-pedal but that is not a huge concern. He has fluid hips and quick feet to mirror his man very effectively especially in the slot. He has good speed to cover deep down the field and does a good job of squeezing his man to the sideline on go routes. In zone coverage, he has good vision to read the play and is very quick out of his breaks to make plays on underneath routes early. When breaking on underneath routes he is an excellent tackler as well. He consistently wraps up and is very physical in bringing down the ball-carrier. In man coverage, he rarely gives up separation down the field especially in press. When playing off in man coverage he lacks the elite acceleration out of his back-pedal to stick with his man on in-breaking routes. At the catch point he continues to show his physicality to break up passes but lacks the length to outmatch bigger, more physical outside receivers. 

Run Game

In the run game, Rakestraw continued to show his physicality as he routinely made big tackles in the open field. Even with his lack of size, he consistently brought down bigger running backs and receivers. His physicality will make him very valuable against the run and he can be a force early in his career. 

Last Word

Rakestraw projects best as a slot corner with the flexibility to play on the outside if needed. His lack of length may make it difficult for him to cover bigger “X” receivers on the boundary at the next level. His quick feet to stop short routes will make him very valuable on 3rd downs. His physicality and tackling skills will make him an immediate starter on special teams as well. His injuries in college are a concern but if he can stay healthy, he can excel as a slot corner in the NFL.

One-Liner: Ennis Rakestraw Jr. has excellent physicality and quick feet when playing in the slot, but his lack of size will limit his ability to consistently play on the boundary which lowers his value.

Grade: 6.6 (Role Playing Starter w/ Inside & Outside Flexibility)

Games Watched: 2023 - Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Kansas State

Team Fits: Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens