An LSU Star’s NFL Draft Stock Is Dropping Fast
There was a time where some NFL Draft projections placed LSU defensive back Derek Stingley, Jr as a Top 3, if not #1 overall, pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. But we're far from that right now.
Just a few weeks ago, the vast majority of predictions and experts placed Stingley in the Top 5 picks for next month's NFL Draft. But as more and more info about Stingley comes out, the faster and faster his draft stock is falling. With some now publishing that he may not be taken within the first 20 picks of the draft.
One of the biggest knocks on Stingley has been his effort that appears on game film from his time at LSU. ESPN Draft Expert Todd McShay made that very clear on a recent podcast. McShay said of Stingley:
"Scouts and general managers are frustrated, and, to be quite honest, if you study some of those tapes from the last few years, like the UCLA game was probably the lowest of the low...You know, changing his pursuit angles to avoid contact, getting close but then kind of pulling up and not not mixing it up versus the run. I mean, let's call it what it is. We all know what it was. 2019, he's a freshman on a national championship team making a run. And he plays outstanding as you would expect him to, plays his best ball. And that tape, as I've said before, compared to any year that you want with Sauce Gardner, especially this past year which was his best tape, I'm taking Stingley."
But McShay goes on to talk about how Stingley "checked out" on LSU during his time in Baton Rouge. He describes NFL decision makers getting frustrated because Stingley didn't opt out like other players, he said he was going to play for LSU, but then didn't play the way he did his freshman year. But not a drop in talent, a drop in commitment.
When McShay factors in his recent injury issues, and the fact he didn't fully participate in the NFL combine, it's forced a few teams to reevaluate how they feel about Stingley. Which could ultimately drop him into the lower section of the first round. A pretty big drop for someone who had their name in the #1 overall spot at some points.