DETROIT, Mich. 一 Friday marks Day 2 and rounds two and three of the 2024 NFL Draft.
In the first round, Missouri defensive lineman Darius Robinson went 27th overall to the Arizona Cardinals, making him the first Tiger to be drafted in the first round since Charles Harris in 2017.
PowerMizzou will keep a running file on Missouri players drafted for the rest of the draft.
Ennis Rakestraw is the second Tiger off the board with the cornerback going No. 61 to the Detroit Lions in the second round. He's also the second cornerback Detroit has selected in this draft. It drafted Alabama's Terrion Arnold 24th overall on Thursday.
Rakestraw's selection comes after a four-year career in Columbia with the Tigers, which saw him breakout in 2022 after tearing his ACL the previous season.
"My emotions were all over the place because I didn't know what to expect," Rakestraw said in a post-draft Zoom interview. "Everybody waits for the phone call to be made. So, it was just a lot of waiting anxiously and watching players go by. So, I was extremely proud and grateful for the moment. (I'm) glad I got to talk to Coach (Dan Campbell) and got an understanding.
"Me and Arnold actually were on a top-30 visit together. So, it was great to actually get to know him a little better now because he seems like a cool dude. His drive and determination is what the Lions want, and I feel like my drive and determination is what they want as well. So, just trying to get to work as soon as possible."
He recorded 35 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 12 pass deflections, an interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 13 games.
He dealt with a groin injury that limited him to nine games in 2023 but still racked up 35 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, four pass deflections and a forced fumble.
Overall, Rakestraw recorded 107 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, 24 pass deflections, an interception, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 35 games.
Green Bay takes Ty'Ron Hopper in 3rd round
The third Mizzou player off the board is linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper, who went to the Green Bay Packers with the 91st overall pick.
"I figured I would go somewhere around this spot maybe late third to around fourth round," Hopper said. "I had a 30 visit with Green Bay and I also had a formal at the combine so I wasn’t really surprised by the pick. They were the one team that I knew was on me the heaviest."
Hopper, who was celebrating his birthday on Friday, spent the evening watching the draft with family.
"It was crazy," he said of getting the call. "Everybody just started yelling and things like that. I just was sweating. It was one of the best feelings of my life. I can’t even describe it."
Hopper spent his first three seasons at Florida before transferring to Mizzou. He made an immediate impact for the Tigers with 77 tackles, including 13.5 tackles for a loss, in his first season as a Tiger in 2023. He added 2.5 sacks, an interception, four passes defended and a forced fumble in his breakout campaign.
In Missouri's 11-2 2024 season, Hopper had 55 tackles, six TFL and three sacks before missing the final four games with an injury.
"I feel like coming back definitely paid off," he said. "I feel like it definitely helped my stock and helped me as a player, working on my game, things I needed to improve on."
He said he is 100% healthy and ready to get to work in Green Bay.
Hopper was the Packers' fourth pick of the second day and the second linebacker. Texas A&M's Edgerrin Cooper went to Green Bay with the 45th overall pick in the second round.
JAGUARS TAKE JAVON FOSTER
Offensive tackle Javon Foster came off the board to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 4th round at pick No. 114.
"This is something you dream about,," Foster said. "You always dream about this type of thing you don’t what to say and you don’t know what your reaction is going to be, but I’m just thankful to be able to be picked and it’s a blessing."
Foster was an all-SEC selection and a third-team all-American as a graduate senior in 2023. He appeared in 50 games with 41 starts, including all 39 games over his final three years.
At 6-foot-5, 313 pounds, Foster played left tackle in college. There is some conversation he could move inside to guard in the NFL. If he makes that move, he'd have a chance to line up next to former Tiger Mitch Morse, who signed with the Jags to play center this offseason.
"I'm just willing to play whatever they want me to," Foster said. "They want to put me at guard, I'm ready to compete at that. At guard, it's not so much kicking out like you're playing tackle, you know deep kicks, more shallow-type kicks. For me, that's pretty much the difference, just making sure I'm not jumping out the gate like I'm playing tackle and I'll be fine."
PowerMizzou.com will continue to update what happens with Mizzou's hopefuls as the draft concludes on Saturday.
With Foster off the board, Mizzou is halfway to a possible school-record eight picks in the 2024 draft.
"I feel like we kind of put the world on notice this year," Foster said. "I feel like the league kinda respects Mizzou Tigers. I feel like they always should have, but I feel like we really kind of put it on the map for sure.
"The leaders, we brought this team together, you know, we showed the world what we can do. We always knew that Mizzou had the talent and stuff like that, but we could never put it together. I feel like this year, we finally showed the world what we could do."
Denver takes KAD in 5th round
Kris Abrams-Draine continued the Tiger a round trend. The cornerback went to the Denver Broncos in round five, pick 145 overall.
Abrams-Draine was predicted many places to be a third or fourth-round pick after a second-team all-American season in which he led the SEC in pass breakups. He had career-highs in tackles (51) and interceptions (4) in 2023.
Abrams-Draine played in 38 of Missouri's 39 games over the last three seasons, racking up 136 tackles, seven interceptions and 34 passes defended. He signed with Missouri out of high school as a wide receiver, but converted to defensive back during his freshman season and became one of the country's most productive corners.
Abrams-Draine was the fourth player selected in the draft by the Broncos and the first defensive back.
dJust six picks after Denver took Abrams-Draine, a third member of Mizzou's defensive backfield came off the board. The Indianapolis Colts took Jaylon Carlies with the 151st pick.
Carlies was a safety at Missouri, but after checking in at 6-foot-3, 227 pounds and running a 4.5 40-yard dash during the process, many had him slotted at linebacker. That's where he was listed when the Colts took him.
"I'm comfortable playing either spot and I think that's another reason they took a chance with me as well," Carlies told Colts' reporters after the draft. "I feel like the scheme that we ran allowed me to open up and show that I can play more than just one position."
Carlies came to Missouri as a wide receiver out of high school, but was a safety from the start in college. He played in five games as a true freshman before turning into a three-year starter. He appeared in 38 of the last 39 games of his career, racking up 212 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, nine interceptions and nine passes defended.
Carlies is the sixth player taken by the Colts, but just the second defender, joining first-round edge rusher Laiatu Latu.
"Just having this opportunity in general, it's really a blessing to me," Carlies said. "They took a chance on me and I'm gonna make sure I pay them back every way I can."
While six Tigers were drafted, there are a number of others that will likely sign as undrafted free agents. We will keep you updated as that information comes in.
