Derek Stingley Jr.

 

First round draft prospect Derek Stingley Jr. is a paradox.  The LSU cornerback had an incredible freshman season, a clear top of the 1^st round talent even that young.  But since… not so much.  A combination of injuries and COVID have forced his stock down in this year’s NFL draft.

Injuries have limited him to 10 games over 2 seasons since the 15 he played his freshman year.  And based upon past performance, opposing offenses have shied away from attacking him, thus yielding less tape to evaluate:

The Good (from his freshman tape):

• He had speed, quickness and recovery speed.
• He had great coverage technique in breaking with opposing receivers.
• He brought physicality and proper hand use in coverage.
• He was a playmaker… He had 6 interceptions.
• He was an All America cornerback in both 2019 and 2020
• He’s the 2^nd highest ranked corner in this draft.  A good performance in his pro day on 4/6 could vault him to #1.

The Bad:

• While he continued to show his positive qualities the following 2 years, there was a lack of consistency.
• He intercepted zero balls bith his sophomore and junior seasons.
• He suffered from an ankle injury that slowed him up in 2020.
• He’s recovering from a Lisfranc fracture in his foot.  This injury can be debilitating.  The injury limited him to 3 games in 2021.
• A lot of mock drafts have him going as the 2^nd corner off the board, to Minnesota at #12.  Not really so bad, except that after his freshman year, he was clearly a top 5 talent.

The Ugly:

• His grandfather, Darryl Stingley, was a wide receiver for the New England Patriots who was the target of a vicious hit by Oakland Raider safety Jack Tatum (8/12/78).  Afterwards, grandpa Darryl lived as a quadriplegic till his death at age 55 in 2007.
• Stingley Jr. was 5 when his grandfather passed.  "I don't remember that much," he said. "We would go up there for Christmas. And he would always give me a Darth Vader mask and cape and (do the voice). That's pretty much all I remember. My dad said that [grandpa] saw something in me back then, but I don't remember that."
• Stingley Sr, Darryl’s dad, said “My dad saw him as a young kid… He ran routes for him when he was 4 or 5 years old. Dad said, 'That boy's going to be special.'"
• Stingley Jr. thinks about his grandfather every game.

Eagles Lesson: The combination of a special talent with an injury prone collegiate history carries risk.  This could be a tough decision for the Eagles.  The Eagles suffered the consequences when they drafted cornerback Sidney Jones in the 2^nd round of the 2017 draft after an Achilles tear.  He did not work out.  But Landon Dickerson, last years 2^nd round pick, had a terrific 1^st year last year.  If he even falls to them, I do not think the Eagles will take Stingley in the first round… And he will be selected before the 1^st round is over on April 28.