It’s a common sentiment amongst Eagles fans that the team needs to bring in a young cornerback to study under Darius Slay and hopefully become our future lockdown defensive back.

Last year, I was banging the table for Patrick Surtain and Greg Newsome, but both went in the first round and out of the Eagles range. This year, enter Derek Stingley Jr.

The 6-1, 195 pound, 5-star recruit was one the highest prospects to ever enroll at LSU. Rated as the #1 recruit in the nation by Rivals, Stingley led the Dunham High School Tigers to back-to-back district titles, playing safety, cornerback, wide receiver, and the return specialist.

Louisiana’s 2018 Gatorade Player of the Year had 23 receptions for 548 yards and six touchdowns as a receiver and recorded 14 interceptions in his final 20 high school games. Derek’s family also has connections to Philadelphia as the Phillies drafted his father in the 1993 Draft, who spent three seasons in the organization before pursuing his football dreams.

Derek Stingley busted into the LSU spring practices like a wrecking ball. Widely considered LSU’s most impactful true freshman with the accolades to back it up.

Here’s a list of Derek Stingley’s many accomplishments in his first season at the collegiate level

• 2019 Consensus All-American
• First Team SEC
• 6 interceptions (Led SEC, 5th in nation)
• 21 passes defended (Led SEC, 2nd in country)
• 17 forced incompletions (Led SEC, 2nd in country)

Statistically, against some of the better college wide receivers, Derek Stingley proved he could hang with the big dogs even as a 19-year old. His ability to press in man coverage, mixed with his speed and quick standstill burst, made him stand out in a group with Kristian Fulton, Grant Delpit, JaCoby Stevens, and Kary Vincent Jr.

Auburn: 7 targets, 2 catches, 50 yards, 0 TD, INT
Arkansas: 7 targets, 2 catches, 23 yards, 0 TD, 3 PBU
Georgia (CC): 16 targets, 5 catches, 57 yards, TD, 2 INT, PBU
Oklahoma (PO): 3 targets, 1 catch, 13 yards
Clemson (CH): 6 targets, 1 catch, 12 yards

In that Clemson game, the freshman phenom held future #1 overall pick, Trevor Lawrence, to a lowly 39.58 passer rating in LSU’s 42-25 National Championship win. The sky seemed to be the limit for Derek Stingley, but unfortunate injuries derailed his next two years.

In 2020, he only played in seven games, missing the season opener due to an illness and six due to an ankle sprain suffered in Week 5, which hampered him throughout the entire season. When targeted, he still managed to post a 44.8% reception percentage, 12.2 yards/reception, 1 TD, five PBUs, and a 73.6 Passer Rating. Add a positive note next to toughness and availability for Stingley. Still, after re-injuring that ankle in Week 12, Stingley decided to suit up against DeVonta Smith and Alabama two weeks later. Let’s say the results were not ideal.

His next season, misfortune struck again as Derek Stingley suffered a Lisfranc injury (something Philly fans know all too well) on the first day of practice. However, going back to his toughness and determination, he made it back for the season opener against UCLA. However, the injury proved to be too much for him to overcome as he allowed a 45-yard touchdown to Kyle Phillips. Stingley would re-injure that foot and elected to have surgery, ending his collegiate career.

So why take the risk on an injury-prone cornerback in the 1st round? Stingley’s athleticism and twitchiness are back in final form from his showcase at LSU’s Pro Day. The former Tiger ran a 4.37 forty-yard dash and told reporters, “I can run faster than a 4.3”. He did not, posting a 4.44, but those numbers confirm that his injuries have healed.

The only knock on Derek Stingley is his injury history. There is very little to criticize about his game, when healthy, without seeming nit-picky. However, he has only played ten games in the past two seasons. That’s slightly concerning, as he’ll have a tough adjustment to the speed of the NFL after that much time off. 

Still, I have been on the tank for Derek Stingley train since 2019. The lockdown corner allowed 40.3% of his targets to be completed in college and is somehow tied for 7th all-time in LSU history for most interceptions in a career despite his limited games. One of the coolest traditions in college football is LSU’s #7 jersey. 

Typically reserved for the best playmaker on the Tigers, Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu, Leonard Fournette, and most recently Ja’Marr Chase are some of the notable stars to rock number seven. Despite the injuries, Stingley earned the honors of dawning the jersey in 2021, which is a testament to how the guys in the locker room feel about him and his work ethic. During their incredible 2019 National Championship run, quarterback Joe Burrow called Derek Stingley a “rare breed.”

If one of the rising stars at quarterback who went against him at practice for an entire year is referring to this cornerback as a “rare breed,” I’m not hesitating to trade up if Stingley falls outside of the Top 10.

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