Ennis Rakestraw was limited in rookie minicamp, as the Detroit Lions ease him into a nickelback role.
Detroit Lions second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was in the “starting” lineup as the team broke for their first 11-on-11 drills of rookie minicamp, but he may not have been where you would have expected him. For most of the first day of minicamp, he was lined up as the nickel—a position Rakestraw is more than comfortable with.
“That’s how I played my freshman year as a starter,” Rakestraw said. “I started at nickel and I started at corner, so to me, that’s just my home.”
The Lions are going to have a lot of competition at the outsider cornerback position this year, and Rakestraw figures to be part of that, too. First-round pick Terrion Arnold took first-string reps there on Friday, and they’ll both have to compete with the likes of veterans Carlton Davis, Amik Robertson, and Emmanuel Moseley for playing time.
“They’ve got their hands full,” Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew said on Friday. “Carlton Davis is a heck of a football player. He’s played a lot of football in this National Football League. Emmanuel Moseley, when he’s healthy, he’s as good as anybody is at covering man. Along with Amik Robertson, who is a tough, physical, aggressive player himself. So there’s going to be a lot of competition in that room.”
But the nickel position could provide Rakestraw a bigger opportunity to make an early impact. While Brian Branch thrived in that role last season, the Lions have made clear they would like to broaden his role to get some playing time at safety.
“Branch has got flexibility to be able to play the safety position, we believe, here in time,” coach Dan Campbell said back in March. “And we already feel very confident about the nickel. He’ll only get better and better. It’s really, we do believe he’ll be able to get there, it’s how fast do you get him there.”
After getting a good load of team reps at nickel to start practice, Rakestraw spent the final few sessions of rookie minicamp watching from the sidelines. He told media afterward that he wasn’t dealing with any sort of new injury, but rather this was a previously-planned load management situation.
“I was trying to go (more), but they was like, ‘No, you’re trying to exceed your reps that we already had for you,’” Rakestraw said. “But what I’ve got to do a great job of is sticking to the plan. They’ve been here, they’ve got a ton of experience. So just keep it like that.”
Rakestraw didn’t go into detail as to why they were limiting his snaps, but he did undergo core surgery this offseason that caused him to miss the Senior Bowl, and a groin injury cut his performance at the NFL Combine short.
Regardless, Rakestraw doesn’t seem too concerned about it.
“I tell them I’m fine, but they want to 100% know I’m fine,” Rakestraw said. “So I’ma stick to their plan moving forward.”
The Lions will conclude rookie minicamp with sessions over the next two days—both closed to the media. Then the rookies will join together with the veterans in two weeks when OTAs begin on May 21.
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