The 2024 NFL Draft wrapped up with six former Mizzou Tigers hearing their names called this weekend. Six matches their 2009 draft class and one behind the 1981 draft class that had a program-best seven players drafted.
Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was selected by the Detroit Lions with pick 61 in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Lions last selected a Mizzou player in 1983 — Demetrious Johnson — and have taken 13 Tigers in the history of the draft. Rakestraw is the second Tigers player off the board after Darius Robinson was chosen by the Cardinals late in the first round on Thursday. It’s the first time Mizzou has had a player selected in both the first and second round since 2015. MU has had a player selected in 20-straight NFL Drafts. Rakestraw played in 36 games and is credited with 32 starts over his four-year career with Mizzou. The West Dallas, Texas native was a primary option at the cornerback position in 2023, racking up 35 tackles, 1.5 TFL’s and four pass breakups. He was limited to nine games this past season due to injury.
Edge rusher Darius Robinson was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Mizzou’s last first-round selection was Charles Harris in 2017 (No. 22/Dolphins) and Robinson is the first MU player selected by the Cardinals since Evan Boehm in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Robinson saw his draft stock increase following a strong week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl where he was named “overall practice player of the week” by NFL scouts and executives along with a strong performance at the NFL Combine. The Cardinals selected 22 Mizzou players throughout their history, including two first-rounders – Robinson (2024), Steve Pisarkiewicz (1977), and Roger Wehrli (1969) – when they were the St. Louis Cardinals.
Missouri linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper was the third-round choice of the Green Bay Packers with pick 91 in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Hopper is the third Mizzou player to be selected among the first 91 picks in this year’s draft, the first time since 2009 that MU has had a selection in each of the first three rounds.
Missouri offensive lineman Javon Foster was selected by Jacksonville with the 114th pick in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. He is the third Mizzou player drafted by the Jaguars and the first since quarterback Blake Gabbert (Round 1, 2011). Foster joins former Mizzou standouts Mitch Morse and DJ Coleman in Jacksonville. Foster was a three-year starter for the Tigers, finishing his collegiate career with 38 consecutive starts at left tackle. He participated in Senior Bowl activities, turning heads with an impressive performance throughout the week.
Missouri cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine was selected by Denver with the 145th pick in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. Denver has selected five players from Missouri all-time, most recently Albert Okwuegbunam in 2020. Abrams-Draine joins former Mizzou standout running back Tyler Badie on the Broncos roster. Abrams-Draine was named a Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC cornerback in 2023, while also becoming a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist. A native of Mobile, Ala., Abrams-Draine led the SEC and ranked fifth in the nation in passes defended (16) and became the first Tiger to log an interception in three consecutive games (Sept. 16-30) since Aarion Penton in 2016.
Missouri defensive back Jaylon Carlies was the fifth-round choice of the Indianapolis Colts with the 151st selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Carlies, projected as a linebacker in the NFL, is the second MU player to go in the fifth round today, following defensive backfield mate Kris Abrams-Draine (Pick 145 / Denver), and is the first Tiger selected by Indianapolis since 1996 and seventh all-time. The 6-foot-3, 219-pound Carlies appeared in 48 games (40 starts) for Missouri from 2020-2023, totaling 221 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, nine interceptions, eight pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and three sacks.