Advertisement
football Edit

Position Reset: Cornerback

The second Missouri football season of the Eli Drinkwitz era has come and gone. The Tigers started the 2021 campaign slow, losing early swing games at Kentucky and Boston College and getting blown out by Tennessee, but then rallied late to win six games and attain bowl eligibility. After falling to Army on the final play of the Armed Forces Bowl, Mizzou finished the season 6-7.

Now, it's time to take stock of the roster. Missouri, like virtually every other team, has already seen several players enter the transfer portal since the season ended. More attrition is expected. In this series, we'll go position by position to break down which players are expected to return and where the team could stand to add a difference-maker. Today, we take a look at the Tiger cornerbacks.

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP EVERY DAY WITH YOUR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION!

Advertisement
Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw (2) will still have four seasons of eligibility remaining after he missed nine games with a torn ACL in 2021.
Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw (2) will still have four seasons of eligibility remaining after he missed nine games with a torn ACL in 2021. (S. Utterback/USA Today)

2021 Recap

Entering the 2021 campaign, there was quite a bit of buzz around several Missouri cornerbacks: Ennis Rakestraw, who had started every game as a true freshman in 2020, and the Tulsa transfer duo of Akayleb Evans and Allie Green IV. While all three played meaningful roles, the star of the secondary turned out to be Kris Abrams-Draine. The converted wide receiver thrived in the nickel position of Steve Wilks' 4-2-5 base defense. Abrams-Draine recorded three interceptions, broke up seven passes and was Missouri's highest-graded defensive player by Pro Football Focus.

At the two outside corner spots, Missouri had to do quite a bit of mixing and matching. Evans put together a strong season while he was healthy, recording 28 tackles and six pass break-ups, but he missed virtually all of the final three games due to injury. Rakestraw started the season opposite Evans but played just four games before tearing his ACL. Green started six games and put together an up-and-down campaign. Ish Burdine and Chris Shearin rotated into the mix as well. Burdine started the first five games of the season but saw his playing time dwindle as those weeks progressed, then an injury curtailed his season. He has since transferred to TCU. Shearin mainly served as a depth piece at the nickelback spot but did start and play 67 snaps against Vanderbilt. He, too, has entered the transfer portal since the end of the regular season.

The departures of Burdine and Shearin to the transfer portal and Evans and Green to the NFL Draft mean the cornerback room will look quite a bit different for Missouri next season — not to mention the fact that former cornerbacks coach Aaron Fletcher left the staff. Wilks is expected to work with the position next season. One reason for optimism was the play of true freshman DJ Jackson late in the year. Jackson started Missouri's final three games of the season due to injuries and generally played well. His best game came against Florida, when he recorded four tackles and broke up a pass.

2022 Outlook

Departing: Akayleb Evans, Allie Green, Ish Burdine, Chris Shearin

Missouri is losing a combined 20 starts from last season alone in this group. Evans, in particular, will be missed. He graded out as Missouri's third-best player in coverage last season, per PFF.

Returning: Kris Abrams-Draine, Ennis Rakestraw, DJ Jackson, Zxaequan Reeves, Davion Sistrunk, Daylan Carnell

While Missouri won't technically have a single upperclassman in its cornerback room next season (Abrams-Draine and Rakestraw have both spent two seasons at Missouri, but Abrams-Draine still has three seasons of eligibility remaining and Rakestraw has four), it's not like the group is void of experience. Abrams-Draine should receive some preseason all-SEC love prior to next year. He can play outside corner as well as in the slot, but given his success from last season, we would expect Wilks to keep him at nickel. Rakestraw has 14 college starts under his belt. He has flashed the ability that led Alabama and Texas, among others, to recruit him, but consistency has been an issue. Jackson, too, made some typical true freshman mistakes when he saw the field in 2021, but he also proved he's not scared of SEC competition.

Those three corners will be joined by a trio of players who redshirted last season. Carnell played the most out of the group, appearing in four games and logging 16 defensive snaps. He played cornerback last season, but at 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, he could line up at safety, as well. Reeves' first college season ended before it started due to a torn ACL. Sistrunk appeared in just one game.

Incoming: Dreyden Norwood, Marcus Scott

Adding to the youth in Missouri's cornerback room will be a pair of newcomers, both of whom are already enrolled and will participate in spring practices. Norwood spent one season at Texas A&M before transferring to Missouri. The former high school quarterback saw the field in two games with the Aggies last season and has all four years of eligibility intact. It's not out of the question that Scott, a one-time LSU commit, could push for immediate playing time after cutting his teeth in Texas' Class 6A.

Projected Starters: Rakestraw, Abrams-Draine, Jackson

The safe bet right now is to project the three players with starting experience to keep those roles, but that's not to say there won't be an open competition throughout the offseason. It's unclear where Rakestraw is in his recovery and whether he will be able to practice during the spring, and Jackson has only played in eight college games.

Spring Practice storyline to watch: Who emerges as the leader of the group? And which of the youngsters can earn regular snaps this season? Last season showed that a team can't make it through the season relying on just three or four cornerbacks, so the Tigers will need a few of the guys who redshirted last year to provide reliable depth, at a minimum.

Previous Positions

Quarterback

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Offensive line

Defensive tackle

Defensive end

Linebacker


Talk about this story and more in The Tigers' Lair

Make sure you're caught up on all the Tiger news and headlines

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video and live streaming coverage

Follow our entire staff on Twitter

Advertisement