As part of their plan to reshape their cornerback depth chart, the Detroit Lions took cornerbacks with their first two picks of the 2024 draft. After trading up from No. 29 to No. 24 to take Terrion Arnold, they took Ennis Rakestraw in the second round at pick No. 61.
Arnold’s rookie season was a mixed bag, but after some penalty issues early he generally played well late in the season. Rakestraw’s rookie season was significantly impacted by a hamstring injury, but he revealed he was in line to start very early in the season before that injury happened in pre-game warmups.
Arnold and Rakestraw are both in line for some level of a proverbial “second-year leap” next season, and we’re years away from making any kind of firm declaration, good or bad, about their careers. But timing has never stopped the hindsight evaluation machine.
Lions go completely different direction with double-dip at cornerback in 2024 re-draft
ESPN tapped their NFL beat reporters for a two-round re-draft of the 2024 draft (subscription required) that was posted on Tuesday. No trades were allowed, so the picks were where they were when last April’s draft started.
At pick No. 29, Lions ESPN beat writer Eric Woodyard had the Lions taking Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil instead of Arnold.
“After an All-American college career at Michigan, it’s a perfect fit for Sainristil to stay in the state to join the Lions. Detroit’s secondary was one of the major holes on its roster, and Sainristil led all rookies with 62 solo tackles. The Lions also got a glimpse of his impact as he picked off quarterbackJared Goff twice in the divisional round. Detroit traded up for corner Terrion Arnold in the real draft, but Sainristil would be a better fit in hindsight.”
The Commanders took Sainristil in the second round (50th overall) after a trade, and any way you slice it he had a more productive rookie season than Arnold. There has to be context for situation though, and Arnold played more man coverage snaps (307) than any other cornerback in the league this season. So the notion than Sainristil would be a “better fit” for the Lions than Arnold might be a stretch,
Down at pick No. 61, Woodyard had the Lions passing on Rakestraw in favor of a different cornerback, Tarheeb Still out of Maryland.
“Detroit reached new heights in 2024 with 15 wins, but it set a league high with 16 defensive players on the injured reserve list at one point. Still fulfilled a major role in his rookie season for the Chargers. His four interceptions tied for second most among rookies, and he had 62 total tackles. Rakestraw ended up playing just 46 defensive snaps for the Lions.”
The Los Angeles Chargers took Still in the fifth round (No. 137 overall) last April, and one year in he looks like an absolute steal. Compared to what the Lions got from Rakestraw this year…well, there is no comparison.
Sainristil and Still as the cornerback double-dip for the Lions in last year’s draft is an interesting idea. It’s also easy to put out there after both had nice rookie seasons, and after Arnold and Rakestraw weren’t on that level in their rookie seasons (and Rakestraw hardly played). Such is the folly of doing re-drafts just one season in.
That said, hopefully a year from now we’re having a more positive conversation about the cornerback duo the Lions actually took with their early 2024 draft double-dip. That would mean both were healthy and played well next season.
