The Houston Texans made LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. the top corner off the board in the 2022 NFL draft, ahead of Cincinnati’s Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner.
Stingley is extremely talented, and has potentially generational talent on the outside for the Texans. He competed with Ja’Marr Chase, and kept up with him every step in practice in at LSU.
Stingley is a long and physical corner, with every physical attribute you could want in the position. His freshman season he was the best defensive player in college, locking down the opposition and proving he has the talent to become an all pro in the NFL. He can excel in either man or zone coverage, with enough speed to shadow NFL receivers easily.
He will start immediately on the outside at a very important position in the Lovie Smith defense, and will jump start the Texans defense with a shut down player. The Texans have struggled mightily in coverage with the last two years, and Stingley should come in right away and solve that problem.
