3 Potential Busts the Eagles Must Avoid With No. 22 Pick
2. Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri
Apparently the Philadelphia Eagles just need to stay away from the Missouri guys in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Again, although these are fine prospects, they simply may not be a great fit for what the Philadelphia Eagles need right now. Over the course of the next handful of weeks, you're likely to see any number of cornerback prospects projected to the Eagles at #22 overall, but Rakestraw is someone who may not meet some prerequisites for Vic Fangio's defense.
Fangio's defense requires corners to be able to play all sorts of coverage, but you have to be able to excel in zone coverage in order for his scheme to be as effective as possible with the two-high safety look. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein said that Rakestraw:
"- Handsy play that will be flagged in the NFL.
- Lance Zierlein
- Won’t often get head turned to find the football on deep throws.
- Displayed some confusion from zone coverages in 2022.
- Recovery speed comes into question at times."
There's certainly a lot to like when it comes to Rakestraw's game, but a propensity for drawing flags along with confusion in zone coverage (even though it was two seasons ago) and questionable recovery speed?
Those sound like some baseline traits for a defensive coordinator like Vic Fangio. Although Fangio will love Rakestraw's competitiveness against the run (tackling is a non-negotiable for Vic), it could be that Rakestraw's abilities in coverage are a non-starter for the Eagles' current situation.