Eli Drinkwitz wanted to repay Kris Abrams-Draine’s faith in him.

The Missouri football coach said the cornerback was one of the first people to believe in him. So, when Abrams-Draine made his decision to return to the Tigers at the end of last season, Drinkwitz felt the trust — trust he elaborated on after MU’s comeback win at Kentucky, one of seven wins in what, to this point, has been an expectations-shattering season.

The cornerback could have made the jump. He’d thought about it, after all. That’s no secret. Abrams-Draine is likely NFL-bound at the end of this season. But he returned, at least in part, because he wanted to improve his draft stock.

Well … so far, so good.

“I think he's done nothing but help himself,” Mizzou defensive coordinator Blake Baker said. “He hasn’t done anything to hurt himself.”

As it stands, the corner is likely to see his name called in April’s draft.

How high remains the all-important question.

CBS draft forecasters Josh Edwards Chris Trapasso and Ryan Wilson currently have at least Clemson’s Nate Wiggins, Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstrey, Iowa’s Cooper DeJean and Penn State’s Kalen King and TCU’s Josh Newton as corners being taken on Day 1. Ohio State’s Denzel Burke and Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter also are names popping up ahead of KAD.

In most mock drafts, Abrams-Draine is a fourth- or fifth-round pick, which would make him a Day 3 selection.

In the spring, Drinkwitz called the corner’s decision to return “creating value for yourself.”

Now is Abrams-Draine’s chance.

The Georgia Bulldogs host Abrams-Draine and Mizzou (7-1, 3-1 SEC) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Athens, Georgia, in one of the most highly anticipated games in recent MU history.

The matchup pits the College Football Playoff committee’s No. 2- and No. 12-ranked teams, with the unbeaten Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0), as it stands, claiming the spot in the playoffs. Georgia is No. 1 in the AP Top 25, while Mizzou is at a nine-year high at No. 14. 

Above all, the winner will take control of the SEC East race.

And with the options Georgia has on its rolling offense, Abrams-Draine will have a pivotal role in the outcome.

You can be sure NFL scouts will be watching.

Abrams-Draine’s coach at Spanish Fort High (Ala.), Ben Blackmon, said the pair chatted while Abrams-Draine was making the decision on his next step. Between them, they decided it was worth returning for another year, Blackmon said.

Why?

“I just think another year of growth,” Blackmon said. “You know, and then I think, last year there were some decent corners in his position coming out, and he felt like if he stayed again this year he'd be one of the top in the country.”

So far, that assertion is more than bluster.

He turned quicker than talented Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott to collect his first pick of the season. He outleaped 6-foot-2 former MU wideout Tauskie Dove on a sideline pass against Memphis to go back to back. He picked off Vandy quarterback Ken Seals in the end zone to make it a hat trick after shutting down Will Shepherd all day long. And he could have had two picks versus Kentucky, if not for a questionable ruling.

That’s all been a part of a steady improvement.

“He's a guy that early on in the season, the first couple games. I didn't think he played his best football,” Baker said. “And I kind of talked to him, really, in my opinion, it wasn't that he was pressing too much, I think his technique led him astray a little bit and really since he's honed in on that, he's played extremely well.

“But he's extremely consistent, both physically on the field and emotionally. He never gets too high, never gets too low, really lets the game come to him. Plays within the scheme, and when the opportunity presents itself, he's made the play.”

After the Kentucky outing, Drinkwitz said Abrams-Draine had developed into one of the nation’s premier cornerbacks.

He currently has 14 passes defended, good for second in the FBS. His four interceptions rank tied for third in the nation. With 10 pass breakups, Abrams-Draine ranks second among Power Five defensive backs.

“I think when you look at his body of work, again, his consistency,” Baker said, “there's been very few times where he's even been out of position this fall.”

That’s nothing new.

“Every time we played, he was the best player on the field,” Blackmon said. … “We might not have won every game, but he was the best player on the field.”

So why isn’t he projected higher?

Maybe his weight — 178 pounds — up against bigger NFL receivers is cause for concern. Perhaps his size at 5-11.

Whatever the drawback, the numbers, with each passing pick, are becoming difficult to ignore.

Saturday ought to provide a chance to wipe any concerns.

The Bulldogs have spread the wealth on offense so far this season. Former Tiger Dominic Lovett is up to 35 receptions for 365 yards. Ladd McConkey returned from injury and is averaging more than 60 yards per game. Rara Thomas and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint have played big roles in UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s scheme.

Baker said the Tigers have the “most confidence in the world” to put him up against their opposition’s best wideout.

He’ll get a fair test with whoever is thrown at him Saturday.

Abrams-Draine came back to get drafted. He put his trust in Missouri to get him there.

A dominant day against the Dawgs might do just that.

The Tigers certainly have faith.

“He's exactly who I'm trying to prove it to every day, that it was the right decision,” Drinkwitz said. “And he's proven to us that he's worth it. He's worth everything we've ever given him.”

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football: Kris Abrams-Draine returned for a purpose