Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Bio
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. is an American professional football cornerback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). Standing roughly 180 centimeters tall and weighing about 85 kilograms, Rakestraw plays on the defensive side of the ball and is widely viewed as a young piece in the Lions’ secondary. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers before entering the professional ranks.
Born on June 5, 2002, Rakestraw was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft with the 61st overall selection. He entered the league as one of the more physically developed cornerbacks in his class and quickly settled into a developmental role with his new team.
Early Life and Background
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in the surrounding metro area. He attended Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas, where he developed into one of the top defensive backs in the state. Duncanville has long produced high-level college and NFL talent, and Rakestraw emerged as a leader of the program’s secondary during his final seasons there.
As a senior in 2019, Rakestraw was named the SportsDayHS Defensive Player of the Year by The Dallas Morning News, a recognition that placed him among the most accomplished high school defenders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. That same year, he committed to the University of Missouri to play college football, choosing the Tigers over other programs that had recruited him.
Path to American Football
Rakestraw’s path to college football began in earnest at Duncanville, where his combination of length, quickness, and physicality made him a priority recruit for college scouts. His senior award helped confirm what his high school film had suggested, and his commitment to Missouri reflected the Tigers’ focus on adding experienced, multi-year starters to their defensive backfield.
At Missouri, Rakestraw joined a defensive program that had produced a steady stream of NFL defensive backs. He arrived in Columbia ready to compete for early playing time, and his freshman production showed that the Tigers had found an immediate contributor. That early start set the tone for the rest of his college career.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Career
Early Career (2020–2022)
As a freshman at Missouri in 2020, Rakestraw started all 10 games and recorded 24 tackles along with one sack, an unusually heavy workload for a first-year defensive back. The early playing time helped him adjust to the speed and complexity of the college game and showed the Missouri coaching staff that he could handle a starting role from day one.
His sophomore season in 2021 was cut short. Rakestraw played in four games before suffering a torn ACL, an injury that ended his year and forced him into a long rehabilitation. He returned to the field in 2022 and started all 13 games, finishing the season with 35 tackles and one interception, marking his most complete statistical year to that point.
Missouri Breakthrough (2022–2023)
Rakestraw’s return from the ACL injury in 2022 was a defining chapter of his college career. Starting every game for Missouri, he showed the coverage skills and tackling reliability that had made him a top high school recruit, and his lone interception that season underscored his playmaking ability on the ball.
He returned to Missouri for the 2023 season and continued to produce, finishing the year with 35 tackles, four passes defended, and a forced fumble in nine games. After that campaign, Rakestraw declared for the 2024 NFL draft, confident that his combination of length, experience, and recent injury recovery would appeal to NFL teams looking for a developmental cornerback.
Detroit Lions Era (2024–Present)
Rakestraw was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 61st overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft, giving Detroit a young, physical cornerback to add to its defensive backfield. He joined a Lions team that had built its identity around a strong defense and an aggressive front seven, and Rakestraw was expected to fit into that culture.
His rookie season allowed him to learn the NFL game under the Lions’ defensive coaching staff, with snaps split between special teams and rotational defensive duty. On August 7, 2025, Rakestraw was placed on injured reserve after it was announced he would require shoulder surgery, an injury that ended his 2025 NFL season before it could fully develop.
Driving Style and Strengths
Rakestraw’s game is built around his size, length, and physicality at the cornerback position. He is comfortable pressing receivers at the line of scrimmage and supports the run game with sure tackling. His three years as a starter at Missouri gave him a strong foundation in both man and zone coverage concepts, which has translated into his developmental work with the Detroit Lions’ defensive staff.
Notable Events and Milestones
Rakestraw’s most notable milestones include his 2019 SportsDayHS Defensive Player of the Year award at Duncanville High School, his freshman starting role at Missouri in 2020, his recovery from a torn ACL to start all 13 games in 2022, and his selection as the 61st overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Career Wins
As a defensive player in football, Rakestraw’s statistical wins are measured in tackles, interceptions, passes defended, and forced fumbles rather than traditional victories. Across his college and early professional career, his on-field production has been steady, with his strongest statistical seasons coming at Missouri in 2022 and 2023.
Missouri Tigers Highlights
Across his college career with the Missouri Tigers, Rakestraw appeared in 36 games and made starts in all of them after his freshman year, finishing with totals that included 94 tackles, multiple tackles for loss, one interception, four passes defended, and one forced fumble. His most productive statistical seasons came as a junior in 2022 and as a senior in 2023, when he started every game he played.
Other Wins & Performances
Rakestraw’s most consistent stretch of play came from 2022 through 2023, when he started every Missouri game he appeared in and emerged as one of the team’s most reliable defensive backs. His 2024 draft selection by Detroit served as the next step in that progression, and his work with the Lions’ coaching staff has been focused on refining his technique at the professional level.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public details about Rakestraw’s immediate family are limited. He is identified as Ennis Rakestraw Jr., indicating he shares a name with his father, though further specifics about his parents and siblings are not widely documented in available sources.
Personal Life
Rakestraw was born and raised in the Dallas, Texas, area and attended Duncanville High School before heading to the University of Missouri. He has kept his personal life largely private, and there is no widely available public information about a spouse or children at this stage of his career.
2025 Season Performance
Rakestraw entered the 2025 NFL season looking to build on his rookie year with the Detroit Lions and carve out a larger role in the team’s secondary. The Lions had high expectations for their defensive backfield, and Rakestraw was part of a young group expected to contribute in coverage and on special teams.
On August 7, 2025, Rakestraw was placed on injured reserve after it was announced he would require shoulder surgery, ending his 2025 NFL season. The placement came shortly before the regular season was set to begin, cutting short what had been projected as an important developmental year for the young cornerback.
Looking beyond 2025, Rakestraw is expected to focus on rehabilitation and a full return to the field for the Detroit Lions in 2026. The Lions’ investment in a second-round pick signals that the organization still views him as a long-term piece of their secondary, and his recovery timeline will shape how he fits into the team’s defensive plans in the seasons ahead.