Report: NFL scout takes shot at LSU over Derek Stingley Jr

When the beginning of the NFL draft process started, there were many concerns about potential first round and former LSU Tiger cornerback Derek Stingley jr. However, recent reports suggest that those concerns have gone up in smoke.
In fact, at least one scout believes his slight dip in performance may say more about his former team than it does Stingley. According to ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller, the former Tiger is the hottest name on the market, despite his struggles in the 2020 season.

“Derek Stingley, Jr. is the hottest name in the draft. There is even buzz about him being a top 3 pick to either Detroit or Houston. Said one scout when asked about his subpar 2020 season—’ I’d have checked out on that team, too.’ The Seahawks at 9 feel like a floor for him,” said Miller via Twitter.

After putting together arguably the greatest season in modern college football history, LSU came crashing down to reality the following two seasons. And of their last two campaigns, the 2020 season was the biggest disappointment.

With former defensive coordinator Matt Aranda leaving to become the head coach of the Baylor Bears, the LSU defense struggled mightily throughout the season. Usually, at the top of the conference in defensive rankings, the Tigers found themselves in the bottom four teams of the SEC, giving up 34.9 points per game. In particular, their defense gave up a conference worse 323 yards per game through the air. At times it was clear to see that the LSU secondary was either not on the same page or did not understand their given assignments.

Fortunately for Stingley, there exists a substantial amount of evidence from the 2019 season to validate him jumping to the top of NFL draft boards. During that season, his freshman year, Stingley recorded 38 total tackles, 31 solo, deflected 15 passes, and led the SEC in interceptions with six.

Dealing with a Lisfranc injury, Stingley played just 10 games for the Tigers over the past two seasons and only three during the 2021 season as he attempted to improve his health. He showed no rust at LSU’s Pro Day, posting a 10-feet, two-inch broad jump and running a 4.37 40-yard dash. Had he ran that at the NFL Combine, he would have placed fifth amongst cornerbacks and by far the fastest out of the first-round names at the position.