NFL Draft Profile: Derek Stingley Jr., Cornerback, LSU Tigers

NFL draft profile scouting report for LSU cornerback, Derek Stingley Jr.

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#24
Pos: CB
Ht: 6002
Wt: 190
Hands: 0958
Arms: 3058
Wingspan: 7418
DOB: 6/20/01
Eligible: 2022
Baton Rouge, LA
Dunham School

Derek Stingley Jr.
LSU Tigers

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One-Liners

Excellent athlete with great man coverage ability who has shown special ball skills in the past. Needs to stay healthy. 

Pros:

Impressive length, strong hands and the ability to locate the football made Stingley a turnover machine in man coverage as a freshman. The outside corner is an excellent athlete with long speed to carry verticals or drags and crossing routes, great hip fluidity and recovery speed. Playing with bent knees allows him to change directions rapidly and be all over underneath routes. Stingley has rare lower body flexibility to get into positions that many others just can’t. His process in press is rarely sped up, landing his punch and replacing it. Even when his punch misses, he is balanced enough to recover. Patience prevents him from biting on jabs and foot fire. Stingley’s eyes are glued to the hips of receivers in man coverage, allowing him to react rapidly. Great mental alertness helps him anticipate picks and jump screens. 

Cons:

The urgency Stingley played with took a dip in 2020 as he dealt with injuries. He can get beat on back shoulder passes in man coverage. His effort in run support leaves a lot to be desired in certain phases of the game, missing tackles and letting his teammates do the work. Physical wideouts are able to push off and create a step of separation. 

Summary:

Long-limbed outside cornerback with excellent athleticism. Stingley has shown fantastic ball skills in the past. His movement skills and discipline make him a great man coverage defender. He could improve his effort in run support and getting back to 2019 form with a healthy season would help his outlook. Stingley projects as a primary cornerback who can travel with the opponent’s best wideout or take away one side of the field. His ball skills allow him to create turnovers. Staying healthy and interested are the only obstacles on his way to an early NFL impact. 

Background

The highest-rated cornerback recruit in the history of 247 Sports, Stingley Jr. has been heralded as a generational talent for some time. Arrived at LSU during bowl practices of December 2018 after graduating high school early. LSU Defensive Coordinator at the time, David Aranda, quickly stated that Stingely looked like the best cornerback they had on the roster during those practices despite being on a roster with future high draft picks Greedy Williams and Kristian Fulton. Stingley carried that momentum into his first year of eligibility where he quickly became the best cornerback in all of college football as a true freshman and garnered Consensus All-American honors. The son of former Purdue cornerback Derek Stingley Sr. and grandson of former Patriots 1973 first-round pick Darryl Stingley, Stingley Jr. has athletic bloodlines that run deep. Battling COVID and injuries in 2020, Derek Stingley Jr. looks to put together a historic junior campaign in what will likely be his last season of college football. 

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Grades

Current Player Value/Potential Player Value

1st Round

Latest News

LSU CB Derek Stingley Jr. Reached Out To Tyrann Mathieu On Leadership

After being awarded the illustrious jersey number seven, LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. reached out to another previous number seven in Tyrann Mathieu to learn more about how he embraced the leadership responsibility. “I've talked to a couple of the previous seven’s but with Tyrann Mathieu, I asked him how to be the perfect leader and there is no perfect way,” Stingley Jr. stated at media day. “It's just however you feel it needs to be. Like me, I'm a quiet guy, so he told me, he was like, You don't always have to go out there and scream and yell and be this rah-rah guy.” While Stingley Jr. has been more of a lead by example type personality in years past, the hones has fallen on him to carry on the number seven tradition, which is awarded to the Tigers player that most embodies what an ‘LSU player’ represents both on and off the field. Whether he likes it or not, underclassmen are going to lean on the projected first round pick for advice and mentorship. Past winners include Patrick Peterson, Leonard Fournette and DJ Chark. “When you speak, people are going to listen,” Stingley Jr. explained. “I took that, and I started noticing, whenever I had something to say, people would listen. And I didn't think I had that kind of power at all, like I thought I was just a normal guy, just like everything else, you know.” - (07/26/21)