In the vaunted SEC, Missouri’s Kris Abrams-Draine played at a high level for years on end, strengthening his record and scouting report as a 2024 NFL Draft prospect as a result. Where does Abrams-Draine rank in the upcoming class, and how does he project to the NFL?
Kris Abrams-Draine Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 5’11 3/8″
- Weight: 179 pounds
- Length: 31″
- Wingspan: 74 5/8″
- Hand: 8 5/8″
- Position: CB
- School: Missouri
- Current Year: Redshirt Junior
There’s a certain dynamism present in Abrams-Draine’s game that has never truly gone away and was evident even in high school at Spanish Fort in Mobile, Ala.
While Abrams-Draine was always dynamic, he wasn’t always a cornerback. He began his football career as a wide receiver; as a sophomore, he caught 55 passes for 903 yards and 11 scores on varsity.
In his senior season, Abrams-Draine switched to quarterback. In that role, the ball was always in his hands, and he did what he does best: make plays. He passed for nine touchdowns but did the brunt of his damage on the ground, churning out 1,745 yards and 19 scores.
A four-star recruit, Abrams-Draine signed with Missouri. And his experience as a WR and QB helped him climb the ranks early. After sitting as a reserve WR in 2020, Abrams-Draine switched to CB in 2021 and took a major leap, accounting for 37 tackles, three picks, and seven deflections in 13 games.
Kris Abrams-Draine is a CB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 4.69 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 1315 out of 2473 CB from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/2qDRyIjiee pic.twitter.com/3zI8tNofrF
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 23, 2024
Over the next two seasons, Abrams-Draine would amass four picks and 26 pass breakups. In 2023, he’d earn second-team All-American and first-team All-SEC honors. He also received invites to the Senior Bowl and the 2024 NFL Combine.
For his size, Abrams-Draine wasn’t an elite tester. His poor agility and explosive testing may turn some teams off, but his 4.44-second 40-yard dash and 1.52-second 10-yard split (in the 85th and 90th percentiles, respectively) remind us of what his recovery speed can do on the football field.
Abrams-Draine’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Effortless accelerator who flashes elite explosive capacity tracking receivers upfield.
- Has the long-strider speed and quick strides to prevent separation over the top.
- Energetic mover with high-end twitch who stays controlled and concise with his tempo.
- Can use his short-area twitch and energy to correct his hip leverage in man coverage.
- Can match releases with a kick-slide in man then snap into phase and track vertically.
- Plays with a competitive edge and can use extensions to squeeze WRs to the boundary.
- Has shown he can pass receivers upfield and divert his attention to underneath routes.
- Can process crossing routes in zone and trigger downhill with voracity and zeal.
- Patient on his pedal and can seamlessly transition to side-saddle and gain speed.
- Keen eyes in zone allow him to process route concepts and jump in front of throws.
- Former WR with near-elite ball skills who plays the ball through the catch process.
- Precise timing and coordination allow him to disrupt passes with little response time.
- Quick diagnosis and tenacious mentality make him a steady factor in run support.
- Physical presence who, despite his size, isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder and bring heat.
- Is active deconstructing blocks and regaining leverage on the front side of run plays.
Weaknesses
- Is an average-sized CB overall with below-average mass and only decent length.
- With his lighter frame, can be outmuscled for 50-50 balls by larger receivers.
- Doesn’t have elite stopping ability or swivel freedom over top boundary comebacks.
- Doesn’t always showcase the necessary bend to hinge to the boundary on out routes.
- Despite lighter frame, doesn’t have elite fluidity, which can impact malleability.
- Sometimes plays too tall tracking vertically, which can impact malleability at stems.
- Can be too lax with depth, drifting too far from receivers in side-saddle and off-man.
- Sometimes idles his feet and widens his base too much in press, delaying transitions.
- Is more natural playing in off-man and zone and has a more uncertain press projection.
- Can be baited into taking faulty tracking angles by quick head fakes, losing positioning.
- Naturally, with his lighter frame, isn’t always able to get off run blocks quickly.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Abrams-Draine grades out as a fringe top-100 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. He’s worthy of consideration in the late Day 2 range for zone and off-man schemes, but given his lighter frame and non-elite athletic testing, he could also fall into the early-to-mid Day 3 range.
Abrams-Draine is one of the most prolific playmakers in the 2024 NFL Draft CB class, with four interceptions and 26 pass breakups over the past two seasons. On tape, the foundation of that production is a culmination of multiple traits: speed and twitch, quick processing and recognition, and the ball skills of a former WR.
KEEP READING: Top CBs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Abrams-Draine is built to be a playmaker in coverage. He finds the ball well, maintains positioning while getting his eyes back, tracks and coordinates his length toward passes with ease, and plays the ball through the entirety of the catch process.
Few disruptors are more proficient than Abrams-Draine in this class, and he’s also a solid CB in other phases. In coverage, in general, he manages space well with pedal and tempo modulations, and he’s a physical and active competitor coming downhill in support.
The biggest questions for Abrams-Draine will revolve around his size, size-adjusted fluidity, and his press-man projection.
At 5’11”, 179 pounds, with around average length, Abrams-Draine can sometimes be outmuscled and outreached. And while he’s flashed great reps in press, he can still improve his footwork. Additionally, when he oversets, he plays too tall on redirections at times and lacks elite recovery freedom.
All this being said, for NFL teams that like to run a lot of off-man and zone concepts, Abrams-Draine has the tools to be an eventual starter with impact playmaking potential. That potential may come at the cost of play strength, but Abrams-Draine’s gnawing physicality allows him to play larger than his frame.
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