The Detroit Lions are searching for answers at cornerback in this year’s training camp.
There’s an ongoing battle between veteran Rock Ya-Sin, camp sensation Nick Whiteside and 2024 second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw Jr for the No. 2 cornerback spot opposite D.J. Reed.
Ya-Sin seems to have the upper hand for the job especially after starting six games for the team last season. Whiteside has reportedly impressed throughout camp.
But the Lions have to hope Rakestraw shows them something— especially since he might represent their last chance to salvage a wash of a 2024 draft class.
"We've got high hopes for Rakestraw,” head coach Dan Campbell said. “You see flashes with him, there's some good stuff. There's some inconsistencies with him a little bit. But then I would say those are less and less every day, which is good news."
Rakestraw has ideal mindset headed into critical 2026 season
Coming out of Missouri, Rakestraw was viewed as a physical, press-man corner with sticky coverage skills. But his injury history was a concern then, and so far has defined his Lions career.
Rakestraw played just eight games as a rookie before landing on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and shoulder surgery kept him out of the entire 2025 season.
"Just stay healthy, that's the only thing I can do," he said after practice Tuesday. "Everybody preaching to me, 'Please stay healthy. We're going to need you.' So, that's what I'm trying to do. Stay healthy."
If Rakestraw can stay healthy, it seems like the Lions will give him every possible opportunity to earn a role on the field. He’s reportedly received plenty of first-team reps in practice competing against Ya-Sin.
With all the injuries currently plaguing their secondary, the Lions have to hope Rakestraw can develop into a long-term starter somewhere in their defensive backfield.
And apparently they’ve attempted to get him out there before.
Rakestraw told reporters after the 2024 season the Lions were planning to start him at nickel cornerback before their Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. An injury in warm-ups got in the way of that, and his pro career has been hampered by them ever since.
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Rakestraw said Tuesday playing nickel “picked up” for him, so he could get some reps there this season if healthy. But he’s trying his best to not fast forward.
"I changed my mind from thinking long-term, I'm on short-term right now," he said. "The long-term will eventually pick up, but right now– healthy today, pray, thank God, fix what I need to fix tomorrow."
Rakestraw related that new mentality with the nature of his position as a whole– cornerbacks are taught to have a short memory, forget about it when they give up a big play and come back stronger the next down.
"If you go out there thinking about what happened the last play, it can happen again and again and again," he said. "That's when bad stuff happens. Just next-play mentality with everything I do in my life now."
The serious injuries Rakestraw’s had to deal with would take a serious mental toll on anyone. Now that he’s been able to be out there competing in camp, he’s trying his best to forget about the past and focus on the now.
Rakestraw has as much to prove as anyone on this roster, and the Lions need him. They’re as eager to see what they have as he is to finally get out there and make an impact on the field.
If he can, the Lions might just be able to breathe a little easier about the state of the secondary.
"I'm eager because a lot of things have happened off the field," Rakestraw said. "I have to step up in a big way this year.”
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