Best available prospects from Missouri football who could go on Day 2 of 2024 NFL Draft
The call came through to Darius Robinson in the green room at the 2024 NFL Draft. Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz caught the moment on video. Robinson, on the phone, let out a cry and hugged family members.
Robinson was in the middle of learning that he was about to become a NFL Draft first-rounder.
The Arizona Cardinals used the 27th-overall pick live from the defensive end’s hometown of Detroit to bring the Tiger to Glendale, Arizona. He is the first Missouri player to hear his name called on the opening night of the draft since Charles Harris in 2017.
Last year, only one Mizzou player was drafted.
That won’t be the case in 2024.
MU cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. figures to follow Robinson to the league. The question: How long will he wait?
Another question: How many more Tigers will follow Friday?
Here’s a look at Missouri’s draft prospects for Day 2 of the Draft:
More: Pros and cons of Arizona Cardinals picking Missouri football’s Darius Robinson in 2024 NFL Draft
How fast will Missouri football’s Ennis Rakestraw come off the board on Day 2 of NFL Draft?
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was once touted as a first-round prospect, but an injury-disrupted NFL Combine quickly dropped him to Day 2 on most draft boards.
But not too far down.
ESPN rates Rakestraw as the sixth-best available prospect entering Day 2 of the draft, NFL.com rates him as No. 7 among available players.
Rakestraw’s problem is that two of the players rated ahead of him in both of those rankings are cornerbacks — Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstrey and Iowa’ Cooper DeJean. Both of those players also likely won’t be waiting long to hear their name called.
The Cardinals will likely take one at No. 35. The Chargers potentially might look for a corner at No. 37. That means Atlanta at No. 43 overall could be a potential landing spot for Rakestraw. If he falls a little further, the Giants might snap him up at No. 47. It would come as a surprise if the Mizzou corner dropped any further down the order.
More: Missouri football lands state’s No. 1-ranked prospect in Class of 2025
How many more Missouri players could be drafted?
Sixty-four players will be drafted Friday over the course of the second and third rounds of the draft.
How many more will be Mizzou players?
Rakestraw’s fellow Missouri corner Kris Abrams-Draine has appeared in several mock drafts as a third-round pick. He’s currently ESPN’s 60th-best player available in the draft, which falls just within the Friday limit, if everyone went in order.
Abrams-Draine led the SEC in passes defended last season with 16, and had a team-leading four interceptions. His size is the primary concern in the step up to the pros, as he checked in at 178 pounds at the Combine, a relatively light number for an NFL defensive back. But Abrams-Draine speed and ball skills might tempt some teams into a Day 2 pick.
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Also in contention for a third-round call-up: offensive tackle Javon Foster.
The first round showed the demand at the position. Eight tackles became NFL rookies on Thursday night.
Foster has 50 games under his belt from his six seasons at Missouri. He was a first-team All-SEC selection last season, as he led a rejuvenated MU offensive line that was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the top O-Line in the nation.
ESPN rates Foster as the 75th-best remaining player, but the offense-heavy draft might speed up his selection.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Top prospects from Missouri football who could go on Day 2 of 2024 NFL Draft
