LSU DT Mekhi Wingo goes in the 6th Round of NFL Draft
LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo was selected by the Detroit Lions with the No. 189th overall pick, coming off the board in sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Wingo, who transferred from Missouri to LSU ahead of the 2022 season, was one of the key pieces to LSU’s defense across the past two seasons.
Wingo, who was awarded the No. 18 jersey – given annually to the player who best represents the “the traits associated with LSU football and its mission to Graduate Champions – ahead of the 2023 season.
Wingo battled through injury to make seven starts in eight games, a stretch that included in-season surgery that could have ended his time in purple-and-gold. Instead, Wingo chose to return to the team for LSU’s ReliaQuest Bowl win over Wisconsin. And he turned in one of his best games to date, logging three tackles and a pair of sacks in the fourth quarter. Both sacks came on third downs as Wisconsin’s attempt at a late-game comeback fell short.
During his first season at LSU, Wingo’s 2022 season was an impressive one, closing out the year with 13 starts in 14 games played, logging 47 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 5 quarterback hurries and 4 passes batted down. He finished the year as a Second-Team All-SEC selection and Third-Team All-American.
Wingo’s one season at Missouri came in 2021 when the St. Louis native was named to the SEC Freshman All-SEC team. In total, Wingo played three years of college football, appearing in 33 with 23 starts.
For as successful as Wingo was on the field, he was just as impactful away from it.
Wingo was one of 11 players nationally named to the Good Works Team by the America Football Coaches Association, was a member of the 2023 SEC Community Service Team, was one of five LSU representatives on the SEC Student-Athlete Leadership Council, took part in LSU’s Study Abroad program in May of 2023 when he joined 10 of his teammates on a 10-day trip to Senegal, and was active in many community service endeavors including the Baton Rouge Food Bank, the domestic violence shelter, literacy fest, and the Boys and Girls Club.
Wingo graduated from De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis, and he was named Missouri 6A Defensive Player of the Year as a senior after logging 54 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 5 sacks during his final year of high school.
