Why LSU's Derek Stingley is Making Some NFL Teams Uneasy

Teams wary of last two years injury history, up and down play from Tigers star cornerback

Derek Stingley has top 10 talent as his athletic traits, instincts and freshman tape all back up a player with immense NFL potential. But as April's 2022 NFL draft grows closer, there are some teams who are getting wary of the former LSU star.

As a result, a once sure fire top 10 pick is starting to be projected in that 11-20 range in the draft and there's one reason why. ESPN's Todd McShay is as plugged in as any reporter come draft time and what the 32 NFL teams think of certain prospects. While there's a general sense that teams understand Stingley's potential and talent, they have also been raising an eyebrow to his most recent film of the last two years. 

The Tigers went 5-5 during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season and were 2-1 with Stingley in 2021 before a Lisfranc injury held him out for the rest of the year. While injuries are still a concern, what some executives have told McShay is that the drop off in aggression. When turning on the UCLA tape for example, executives were "frustrated" with how Stingley avoided contact and his passive demeanor on the field.

"So if you decide to play, and you're going to line up there with your 10 teammates, and you're gonna say, 'Let's go,' then you better go. And he didn't. And that's the frustration," McShay said on ESPN's First Draft podcast. "And you just want to know that you're going to get a player when you're trailing in a game or things aren't going well, what's he going to do? And that's what everyone in the league is talking about."

In the latest ESPN mock draft, Stingley goes No. 16 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles while the latest FanNation draft has Stingley at No. 12 to the Minnesota Vikings, a popular landing spot with former coordinator Daronte Jones and teammate Justin Jefferson with the Vikings. 

Where Stingley ultimately winds up, he'll have to show that he can be an every down player who will stay aggressive like that 2019 freshman film where he had six interceptions and 15 passed defended. 

"I don't think it warrants him falling to 20. I've heard people say, 'You know what might be in the teens somewhere.' And everyone's kind of assuming he's still top 10. I don't assume at all that he's a top 10 after talking to everyone in the league. I think he's a top-10 talent. But what are you going to get out of him?" 

The talent is there and with LSU's pro day right around the corner, there is still an opportunity for Stingley to really show teams he's back to full strength and deserving of a high first round pick.