Finally Getting the Body Right
Here’s what we know about Ennis Rakestraw Jr. so far: he can get hurt walking to the mailbox. The Lions’ 2024 second-round pick has managed to miss almost two full seasons thanks to a hamstring that betrayed him in pregame warmups and a shoulder injury that ended his second year before it started. At some point, you start wondering if this kid is made of glass.
But Dan Campbell sounds genuinely optimistic about where Rakestraw is heading into his third year. And when Campbell gets that tone in his voice, you pay attention.
“He’s had a good spring,” Campbell said. “He’s been out there every day, minus this bug that’s hit a few of our guys.”
The real story here isn’t just that Rakestraw has been healthy. It’s what the Lions did with all that time he spent rehabbing instead of playing football.
Building a Cornerback From Scratch
Coming out of college, Rakestraw was listed at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds at the Combine. That’s not necessarily tiny for a corner, but it’s borderline problematic when you’re asking someone to play in the Lions’ physical system. The Lions need their corners to jam receivers, support the run, and handle big bodies in the slot. You can’t do that if you’re getting ragdolled by tight ends.
So this offseason, instead of just hoping Rakestraw would magically stay healthy, the Lions actually did something about it. They sent him to work with their conditioning staff, and he spent months in Detroit adding bulk and density to his frame.
“This year he had a lot of time to really not only rehab but work back there with Coach Josh Schuler and Mike Clark when they were here, and certainly Fisch,” Campbell said. “So he’s had a little bit of bulk, he’s a little more dense than he was, that’s always going to help the body.”
No Guarantees, But Better Odds
Campbell was careful not to oversell this. Injuries happen. Sometimes you do everything right and your body still betrays you. Ask any Lions fan who watched Calvin Johnson’s career get cut short, or Barry Sanders retire at 30, or literally any other franchise legend get broken by this game.
But there’s something different in Campbell’s tone when he talks about Rakestraw now. He sounds like a coach who believes his player has finally built the foundation to survive an NFL season.
“There’s nothing that would tell me that he won’t be prepared and physically prepared to go into training camp,” Campbell said. “Now whatever happens, happens, but he’s where he’s supposed to be right now in early June.”
For a kid who has barely played meaningful snaps since being drafted, that might be the most encouraging thing anyone has said about his future. The Lions didn’t just cross their fingers and hope for the best. They identified the problem and fixed it.
Is this finally the year Rakestraw proves he was worth that second-round pick, or are we just setting ourselves up for another injury heartbreak? Let us know what you think in the comments.
