# Derek Stingley Jr.

Derek Stingley Jr. (born June 20, 2001) is an American professional football cornerback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers and was selected by the Texans third overall in the 2022 NFL draft.

## Early life

Stingley Jr. attended The Dunham School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During his high school career he had 27 career interceptions. As a senior, he was named the Louisiana Gatorade Football Player of the Year. Stingley Jr. was rated as a five-star recruit and was ranked as the top overall player in his class by Rivals.com. He committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) to play college football.

## College career

Stingley Jr. entered his freshman year at LSU in 2019 as a starter, helping the team go undefeated and win the College Football National Championship. As a freshman, he led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with six interceptions, 21 passes defended and was a first-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press (AP). He was also a consensus All-American, earning first-team honors from the AP, American Football Coaches Association, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and USA Today. In the following season, Stingley missed three games due to illness and injuries, but still was named to the All-SEC first-team. Following an injury plagued junior season in which he was only able to start in three games, Stingley declared for the 2022 NFL draft.

### College statistics

| Season | GP | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Fumbles | Fumbles | Fumbles |
| Season | GP | Solo | Ast | Cmb | TfL | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | FF | TD |
| 2019 | 15 | 31 | 7 | 38 | 1 | 0.0 | 6 | 17 | 3.5 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 7 | 19 | 8 | 27 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 25 | 56 | 17 | 73 | 7 | 0.0 | 6 | 17 | 3.5 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 |

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump |
| 6 ft 0+1⁄4 in (1.84 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 30+5⁄8 in (0.78 m) | 9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.38 s | 1.56 s | 2.51 s | 4.19 s | 7.00 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day |||||||||||
Stingley Jr. was selected in the first round with the third overall pick by the Houston Texans in the 2022 NFL draft, tying the record set by Shawn Springs and Jeff Okudah for the highest draft selection by a cornerback in NFL history. He entered his rookie season as a starting cornerback opposite Steven Nelson. He had his first career interception on Trevor Lawrence in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On December 17, 2022, Stingley was placed on season–ending injured reserve with a hamstring injury that had kept him from playing since Week 10. He finished the season with 43 tackles, five passes defensed and one interception through nine games.
Stingley entered 2023 as a starting cornerback opposite Steven Nelson. He suffered a hamstring injury in practice and was placed on injured reserve on September 23, 2023. He was activated on November 11. In Week 13, Stingley recorded two interceptions and four pass breakups in a 22–17 win over the Denver Broncos, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
In Week 15 of the 2024 season, Stingley had two interceptions, including a game-clincher in a 20-12 win over the Miami Dolphins, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He ended the season with five interceptions and 18 passes defended as he earned Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors.

## NFL career statistics

Legend :
| Bold | Career high |

### Regular season

| Year | Team | Games | Games | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Fumbles | Fumbles | Fumbles | Fumbles | Fumbles |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2022 | HOU | 9 | 9 | 43 | 35 | 8 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
| 2023 | HOU | 11 | 11 | 39 | 28 | 11 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 3.4 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
| 2024 | HOU | 17 | 17 | 54 | 37 | 17 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 48 | 9.6 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Career | Career | 37 | 37 | 136 | 100 | 36 | 5 | 1.0 | 0 | 36 | 11 | 74 | 6.7 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |

### Postseason

| Year | Team | Games | Games | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Fumbles | Fumbles | Fumbles | Fumbles | Fumbles |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2023 | HOU | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
| 2024 | HOU | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 70 | 35.0 | 54 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Career | Career | 4 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 70 | 35.0 | 54 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – |

## Personal life

His father, Derek Stingley Sr., played in the Arena Football League, and his grandfather, the late Darryl Stingley, played with the New England Patriots in the National Football League.