Lions CB Ennis Rakestraw Wants to Prove Fans, Doubters Wrong

Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw is turning heads during the team's offseason workouts.

The Missouri product spent much of his first NFL season on the sideline after the Lions drafted him in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

A hamstring injury during pregame warmups in Week 2 negated him the opportunity to start after earning it in practice, and set off an unfortunate string of injuries that would limit him to just eight appearances.

His first season became a very challenging one. He had to deal with the injuries and being away from the game, along with seeing some fans be displeased with his efforts on social media.

Rakestraw told the Detroit Free Press that he has kept receipts of his doubters, and is eager to prove those same doubters w

“You don't play this game to get injured,” Rakestraw told the Detroit Free Press. “Sometimes though it’s just very unfortunate. I had a lot of stuff to deal with. I was very hurt about it. Didn't get to do nothing and let my teammates down when everybody went down and I wasn't there to help them. So I was already fighting battles with that as myself. But just to see somebody who don't know nothing about this or don't play it, say something like that, it really just fuels me.”

Ahead of what will be an important second year in training camp, Rakestraw has been impressing his teammates throughout the process of offseason workouts. Among the players he's impressed is veteran newcomer D.J. Reed, who signed a three-year deal to join the team this offseason.

With Terrion Arnold sidelined for last week's practice that was open to members of the media, Rakestraw was able to get first-team reps. Reed noted that the young player had been stacking strong performances through the first three team practices.

“Ennis has been out here and he’s playing really well," Reed told reporters after practice Friday. "It’s great to see him putting it all together. This is our third practice, but he's been playing well. And everyone else has been playing well too.”

As a rookie, Rakestraw spent time both in the slot and on the boundary. This year, he is expected to focus primarily on playing boundary corner. As a result, Arnold's absence led to instant reps.

While it wasn't a perfect day, his performance last week drew strong reviews. He had a strong training camp last season, with multiple interceptions in team periods, which made his injuries disheartening after a promising start.

Now, teammates such as linebacker Jack Campbell are noticing a fresh air of confidence within the second-year defensive back as he continues to log reps in an effort to carve out a role defensively for Kelvin Sheppard's group.

“I just feel like he is more confident," Campbell said. "He’s looked good, he's looked like everything I would imagine in a corner."

More from Lions OnSI: