Football runs in the family for Derek Stingley Jr.
His grandfather, Darryl Stingley, was a wide receiver and first-round pick of the New England Patriots in 1973, but his career was cut short after he became a quadriplegic after taking a hit to the head in 1978. Stingley's father, Derek Sr., was a cornerback at Purdue and played on the Jets practice squad before going on to play in the Arena Football League.
The youngest Stingley grabbed everyone's attention in 2019, when he had six interceptions as a true freshman for LSU, en route to helping the team win the national championship.
While injuries have clouded Stingley's last two years, his ceiling is quite high as he enters the NFL.
Measurables: 6'0"/190
School: LSU
2021 stats: 3 games played, 8 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble
Accolades: First-team All-SEC (2020), first-team All-American (2019), second-team All-SEC (2019), NCAA national champion (2019)
Strengths: Stingley burst onto the scene as a true freshman with LSU in 2019 during their championship run and immediately displayed his talent and athleticism. Stingley has the prototypical size, tremendous speed and a nose for the ball, making him arguably the top cornerback in the draft despite playing just 10 games over the last two years. His footwork and speed allowed him to cover the top wide receivers in college, showing great change-of-direction ability. Stingley has great hands and uses his size to his advantage to make a play on the ball. He has also played in various schemes and different roles in the defense, including safety, while at LSU.
Weaknesses: As mentioned above, Stingley played in 10 games over the last two years, missing most of the 2021 season due to a foot injury, raising concerns about durability. His best season was also his freshman year. There are some concerns regarding Stingley's effort, particularly when it comes to his tackling abilities and establishing a competitive fire on every snap.
NFL comp: Patrick Peterson
What experts are saying:
"At the top of his game, Stingley possesses the skill and ability to develop into a top-notch cornerback who can line up in a variety of defensive schemes. Yet, the past two seasons leave a lot of unanswered questions, which makes Stingley a risk. He’s one of the bigger boom-or-bust prospects in this draft. Nonetheless, if the team who selects him can get Stingley back to his 2019 form, they could have an All-Pro cornerback on their roster." -Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network
"Uniquely gifted cornerback with rare blend of size, speed and explosiveness that will have teams willing to judge his upside off of tape from two seasons ago. Stingley played in just 10 games over the last two years, offering flashes of his upside rather than sustained play. Regardless of season, he's long, loose and extremely athletic. Elite speed and ball skills give him a chance to thrive as a bump-and-run corner capable of shadowing top talent around the field. He allows some separation from off-man but bursts to close distance instantly. He's well-suited for a variety of zone coverages but needs to play with much better zeal and toughness in run support. Stingley will likely measure and test like Marshon Lattimore, Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie (depending on his weight), but he needs to find that breakthrough 2019 form in order to reach his potential as a lockdown cover talent." - Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
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