CB Rankings: A Closer Look At #1 CB Derek Stingley Jr

May 17, 2021 CFB Saturdays Staff

With the off-season upon us we will be removing the players that have moved on to the NFL from our player rankings and re-ranking for the 2021 season. Before we jump into Derek Stingley being ranked number one, here’s a few reminders about the rankings themselves:

The rankings will be updated throughout the season.
Players who have not played college football are not eligible for the rankings.
Players are graded on their college ability, not their pro potential.
We are judging players on their film, production and physical tools.

You can view the College Football CB rankings here.

LSU cornerback, Derek Stingley holds on to the top spot in our rankings to start the 2021 season. Stingley was at the top of our list for the 2020 season and despite an injury riddled 2020 season, he keeps the spot heading into 2021. Stingley is not tested often so he does not get many opportunities to show up in the box score, but when he is tested he usually makes the play. He is a high end talent who has starred since the day he arrived at LSU and should be drafted very high in the 2022 NFL Draft.

An Instant Impact Player

Derek Stingley was a five star recruit in the 2019 class and as the top cornerback recruit in the country was expected to make an impact early in his career. He earned a starting spot and became a key player during LSU’s National Championship season. Even as a true freshman, he was a leader for the Tigers’ defense and locked down one side of the field. Stingley had a big game in the SEC Championship Game, recording 5 tackles, 2 interceptions and a pass broken up in the win against Georgia. He finished the 2019 season with 38 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 15 pass breakups and 6 interceptions.

The 2020 season was a tough one at LSU. The team had already lost a lot of talent to the NFL, but with Covid casting a shadow of the season, several high profile Tigers opted out of the season, leaving the team with many unexpected holes in the depth chart. Stingley was one of the few returning starters from the 2019 championship team who played in 2020, but even he fought through an early season illness and a few injury scares and managed to play in just seven games during the season. Stingley was very good when healthy, but needs to stay healthy during the 2021 season for LSU’s secondary to reach it’s potential. During the 2020 season, Stingley had 27 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 5 pass breakups and 1 fumble forced over those seven games.

Stingley’s Skills

At 6’1″ 195 lbs, Stingley has good size to play cornerback. He has excellent length and is a difficult match-up for most receivers. Stingley is a fluid athlete who can mirror receivers in coverage effectively and has the closing speed to erase any separation then make a play on the ball. With his speed, burst and fluid athleticism Stingley is difficult to shake in coverage, discouraging most teams from even testing him during the game.

When he is tested, Stingley has made a habit of making the offense pay for that mistake. He has good instincts for the football and is able to locate it quickly. He then has the leaping ability and body control to put himself in position to make a play. Stingley has strong hands and can win 50/50 balls against receivers more often than not. His size and length allow him to excel in contested situations and he is able to make tough interceptions and break up many of the passes thrown his way.

Stingley has the length to get physical with receivers on the perimeter and can disrupt the timing of the passing game by rerouting receivers. He is effective in press man coverage and has the flexibility and closing speed to recover if he is not successful when jamming the receiver. He is aggressive tackling on the outside and is able to get downhill quickly to make plays near the line of scrimmage.

Derek Stingley is a complete cornerback who can match-up well against all types of receivers. He has the size and physicality to take on bigger more physical receivers, but also has the feet and quickness to cover smaller quicker players in space. Stingley is an elite cornerback at the collegiate level and forces offenses to adjust their game-plan when they play LSU.

A Dynamic Duo at Cornerback in 2021

LSU has a strong history of defensive back play and regularly checks in near the top of our DBU rankings. Derek Stingley is the best cornerback in the country, but his teammate Eli Ricks is not far behind him on the list either. With a healthy Stingley and Ricks now having a year under his belt, the cornerback duo at LSU is the best in the country on paper. If they live up to expectations that could be one of the keys to a big turnaround for the Tigers’ defense in 2021.

The defense allowed almost 35 points per game in 2020 but LSU has recruited a lot of talent at every position. With Stingley back at full speed and Ricks manning the corner spot across from Stingley, the coaches will be able to count on their cornerbacks to win in man coverage and allow them to scheme help for the rest of the defense until players emerge in other spots. LSU’s dynamic duo will certainly be fun to watch in 2021.