Several NFL Mock Drafts Have Derek Stingley Jr. Going No. 3 Overall

The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is set to begin on Thursday night.

Former LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. saw his draft stock drop in March after he was unable to participate in the NFL Combine due to an injury but his stock is back up after an impressive performance at LSU's Pro Day earlier this month now that he's fully healthy.

Several mock drafts now have Stingley Jr. going No. 3 overall to the Houston Texans as the first cornerback drafted.

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NFL.com:
Houston has done extensive work on Stingley, and head coach Lovie Smith recently commented on the Texans' desperate need to get better at CB.

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CBS:
We heard from several league sources that Stingley could find his way into the top 5 and, honestly, we were surprised. But this isn't what we'd do, it's what we think will happen, and the Texans have two first-rounders and needs up and down the roster. And if they're getting the 2019 version of Stingley, this is a grand slam, even with Gardner still on the board.

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Bleacher Report:
At LSU's pro day, the cornerback ripped an impressive 4.37-second 40-yard dash to show he's finally healthy and ready to return to his dominating ways.

"Stingley is a top-notch athlete who played at elite level early in his career," Giddings noted. "He shows the ability to cover man-to-man, while shadowing receivers in and out of breaks. Stingley also shows top -notch ball skills to locate and attack the ball in air."

For the Houston Texans, the organization simply needs to acquired best talent possible. A healthy Stingley vastly improves a secondary that currently features Lonnie Johnson Jr., Desmond King II and Steven Nelson. They're all capable veterans. None of them come close to bringing the type of coverage and ball skills that Stingley does.

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