The Ennis Rakestraw situation just got uncomfortable
Let me be straight with you about Ennis Rakestraw. After what we saw at Allen Park and what Dan Campbell said Monday, this is not heading in a good direction.
Rakestraw was supposed to be the guy who could maybe salvage something from that 2024 draft class. Instead he’s sliding down the depth chart while Campbell talks about how much he likes Nick Whiteside and Khalil Dorsey and Rock Ya-Sin, and then when he gets to Rakestraw the tone shifts. Up and down. Needs to string together some good days.
If you have been paying attention to Campbell since 2021, you learn to read between the lines. That is not coach speak for everything is fine. That is coach speak for we are not sure this guy can get where we need him to be.
That 2024 draft class is a complete nightmare
You have to understand the full context here. The Lions’ 2024 draft class has been an absolute train wreck.
Terrion Arnold is gone. He is no longer with the team and is now getting looks from the Seahawks, Saints, and Texans. Sione Vaki is missing time with an injury, and while he is out, Jacob Saylors, Jabari Small, and Kai Robichaux are playing well enough that Vaki might not even make the roster when he comes back. Giovanni Manu is injured and probably was not making it anyway. Mehki Wingo? I do not see him making plays. Other guys are out there doing it. He is not.
Christian Mahogany is a starter and a pretty decent one. That is basically it. That is the one guy you can point to and say okay, we got something there.
So Rakestraw was the other hope. Early in camp it looked decent. He was getting first-team reps. He was not getting torched. Then it started sliding. Second-team reps. Second and third-team reps. Inconsistency. Penalties. Burnt on routes. Sticky coverage but still allowing the catch.
Then the Lions brought in Trevon Diggs for a tryout on Sunday. If Diggs gets signed, that is bad news for Ennis Rakestraw.
What is actually going wrong
Physically, Rakestraw looks fine. He is in shape. He is not slow. He does not look like a guy dealing with an injury. But it is not clean out there.
Sometimes there are really good moments. Then he gets burnt. Sometimes he is in position but still allows the catch. Sometimes you see something and think okay, in a real game that is defensive holding. It is just not consistent enough.
My guess, and I am speculating here, is that this might be a confidence thing. A mental block. Some guys go through that when they deal with injuries early in their careers. You can see how that gets in your head. How you start worrying about getting hurt again. Then you look around at the rest of your draft class falling apart and you know everybody is watching to see if you can be the guy who makes it, and that is a lot of pressure. Some guys push through that. Other guys do not.
I do not know which one Rakestraw is yet. There is still a lot of camp left. Three preseason games to go. Things can change.
The depth chart is not looking good for him
But if the season started tomorrow and I had to pick six corners, I am taking D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin, Nick Whiteside, Khalil Dorsey, Keith Abney, and Roger McCreary.
I am struggling to see where Rakestraw fits. You could argue he beats out Dorsey, but Dorsey is a good special teamer and he is making plays on defense. McCreary is too important to lose. Abney is a guy the Lions see real upside in. Reed is your starter. Rock is your other starter. Whiteside looks like the clear CB3 who rotates in.
Rakestraw was supposed to be a second-round pick who could step in and contribute. Instead he is fighting just to stay on the roster.
Is Rakestraw going to turn it around or is this draft class cursed? Drop your take in the comments.
