Here is some awesome footage of how former LSU football stars Derek Stingley Jr. and Ja’Marr Chase used to get after it in practice.
Iron sharpened iron on the 2019 LSU football team with Derek Stingley Jr. having to guard Ja’Marr Chase in Tigers practice.
This incredible practice footage re-surfaced during the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. Daniel Jeremiah of The NFL Network pointed out a prime example of what Stingley can be. Though he had a frustrating last two seasons with the Bayou Bengals (who didn’t, honestly?), Stingley was more than capable of containing and battling an elite SEC wide receiver during Tigers team practice.
Chase went No. 5 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2021 NFL Draft after opting out of his junior season. While he is not a lock to do the same, Stingley is probably going top-12 and may not fall further than the Atlanta Falcons picking at No. 8 this spring.
Outside of Atlanta, teams like the New York Giants or New York Jets could look to draft him high.
LSU football: Derek Stingley Jr. and Ja’Marr Chase used to battle in practice
The talent has always been there, as Stingley comes from a great football lineage. However, he did seem to be a player at LSU that needed to be pushed. This is why he played his best ball on the best team he ever played for: The 2019 national champions. Not to say he has bust potential, but it seems as though Stingley needs to go to a team where he must compete every day in practice.
While it would have been cool to see him swap out his Tigers stripes for Cincinnati’s, the Bengals were too good last year to be in any position to trade up to get him in the NFL Draft. Could you imagine him going up against Chase professionally in Cincinnati? Again, this is why college football is such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When are you ever going to play with your guys again?
Ultimately, Stingley will be drafted top-12 with the expectation he will become some franchise’s shutdown corner for a decade. Though his college career offered great variance, his highs were incredibly high. While LSU went to hell in a handbasket very quickly after the 2019 college football season, Stingley stands the chance to become the next undisputed superstar coming out of DBU.
If Stingley goes to a team with a true No. 1 wide receiver, he might find his NFL version of Chase.
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