An unfortunate injury riddled season for Missouri Tigers cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. continues to create bumps along his road to the NFL Draft. On Friday, Matt Miller of ESPN announced that Rakestraw will miss next weekend's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, as he is still recovering from surgery for a core muscle injury.
Rakestraw missed three games in Missouri's 2023 regular season as well as the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in December. The star corner sustained a groin injury in the week ahead of the team's week 4 game against Memphis, causing him to miss that game along with the Tigers' week 7 win over Kentucky. Rakestraw suffered the core muscle injury sometime in the second half of the season, causing him to miss the regular season finale in Arkansas and the Cotton Bowl.
Despite the injuries, Rakestraw put together an impressive junior season. He declared for the NFL Draft on December 30th of 2023 and will likely be near the top of many team's draft boards.
As Miller's report indicates, Rakestraw is expected to be able to participate in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in late February.
Despite Rakestraw's absence, the Tigers will still be well represented at next week's Senior Bowl. The slew of Missouri players to accept invites to the game include: Defensive back Kris Abrams-Draine, defensive end Darius Robinson, linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper, offensive tackle Javon Foster, and running back Cody Schrader. Kicker Harrison Mevis also accepted an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl in Frisco shortly after declaring for the NFL Draft.
This year's Senior Bowl will be played on Sunday, February 3 at 12 p.m. and will be broadcasted on NFL Network.
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