The NFL is fast paced, and a rookie can get lost in the flow of a 60-minute game.
Derek Stingley showed promise in his rookie season. The former Houston Texans 2022 first-round pick collected 43 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, five pass breakups, and an interception through nine games. A hamstring injury nixed Stingley’s playing time starting in Week 10, and the former LSU product never saw the field for the rest of the season.
As Stingley enters his second season, the young cornerback is starting to have better perception when it comes to the speed of the game.
“Oh, I feel like I’ve improved and I’m seeing the whole field at a faster rate,” Stingley said via Aaron Wilson of KPRC-TV. “I could kind of see it last year and in the years before that, but Year One to Year Two, you can see the pace a little bit more. Nothing’s really unexpected. Nothing really catches you off-guard anymore. I mean, it’s nice.”
Among the 2022 class, fellow first-rounder Ahmad Gardner of the New York Jets and the Seattle Seahawks’ Tariq Woolen, who led the NFL in interceptions, garner more attention nationally. Nevertheless there are some former Pro Bowlers who believe Stingley should be able to assert his dominance and make a name for himself soon.
