Derek Stingley Jr. selected in first round of 2022 NFL Draft
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Derek Stingley Jr. was one of the more intriguing prospects heading into the 2022 NFL Draft.
Now he’s off the board after the Houston Texans drafted him No. 3 overall.
When Stingley is at 100%, he was an absolute superstar at LSU. The problem? He wasn’t really healthy the last 2 years of his career in Baton Rouge.
But, that 2019 season, when LSU won the national championship, was special for Stingley. He recorded 6 interceptions and 15 pass breakups (to go with 38 tackles and a forced fumble) that season.
In 2020 and 2021, however, he was held to only 10 total games. And, while still providing solid pass coverage, he did not record another interception.
Still, that elite 2019 performance was enough to convince the Houston Texans to draft him with the No. 3 overall pick on Thursday night in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft from Las Vegas.
Now, he’ll embark on his pro career. He has the potential to be a guy who can eliminate a team’s No. 1 receiver for an entire game:
Lowest completion rate allowed in coverage since 2019 among SEC Cornerbacks
1️⃣ Derek Stingley Jr: 39.2%
2️⃣ Kristian Fulton: 44.1%
3️⃣ Jaycee Horn: 45.2%
4️⃣ Kaiir Elam: 45.5% pic.twitter.com/9lxcuLozZw— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 27, 2022
He has natural ball skills and is one of the most fluid athletes the SEC has seen in recent years:
Derek Stingley picks off Fromm AGAIN for his 2nd INT ?⁰⁰(via @CBSSports)⁰pic.twitter.com/AmmfP0EP3x
— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) December 8, 2019
The issue, of course, is health. But, if Stingley can stay on the field in the NFL ranks, he has all the makings of a lockdown corner. We’ll see if he can play every game as a rookie this fall.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
