LSU's Derek Stingley Firmly Implanted as First Round Pick Ahead of NFL Combine
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NFL Draft preparation is in full swing with the combine less than a month away and several LSU Tigers ready to perform with the hopes of improving their draft stock. Nine LSU players will be at the combine in March with a pro day in Baton Rouge to follow.
Currently there's one former Tiger who's universally expected to be a first round draft pick and that's cornerback Derek Stingley. LSU's dynamic athlete was one of the highest graded corners in the 2019 and 2020 seasons but injuries have stunted his continued praise the last two seasons. He's gone from a sure fire top 10 or even top 5 pick to falling at or just outside of the first 10 picks on many draft boards.
In a few of the latest mock drafts released this week, Stingley went No. 12 overall to the Minnesota Vikings, reuniting with former teammate Justin Jefferson on FanNation's NFL Draft Bible, while ESPN's Todd McShay had the talented cornerback going No. 10 to the New York Jets.
During his time at LSU, Stingley recorded 73 tackles, 20 passes defended, seven tackles for a loss and six interceptions in 25 games played. During his first two seasons, he graded as one of the elite cornerbacks in the country on Pro Football Focus, earning All-American and All-SEC nods as a freshman and sophomore with the Tigers.
Both FanNation's NFL Draft Bible as well as ESPN are of the thought that if Stingley has a good combine and pro day, showing he's fully healthy, the Tigers defensive back could slide even further up draft boards. There's no denying his immense talent and potential by just watching tape of the 2019 season.
But the last two seasons have been difficult to grade because he hasn't really been on the field. Here's what FanNation's NFL Draft experts had to say about Stingley:
"Top tier athletic cornerback with good length. Stingley Jr. burst onto the scene in 2019 as a true freshman and quickly became the best cornerback in all of college football. Instinctive reactionary quickness at the line of scrimmage to slide feet and mirror releases while utilizing a kick step to cut off vertical releases."
His talent won't be in question but rather his long term health, something he'll need to show and answer NFL teams over the next several weeks. Wherever Stingley winds up, he's likely a future star in the secondary that any team would like to build its secondary around.
