Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. plays for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). The Texans took him third overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

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Stingley Jr. went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s The Dunham School. He had 27 interceptions in his high school career. He received the Louisiana Gatorade Football Player of the Year honour as a senior. Online website Rivals.com rated Stingley Jr. as a five-star prospect and the best player in his class overall. He made a commitment to play collegiate football at Louisiana State University (LSU).

As a starter who helped the team go undefeated and win the College Football National Championship, Stingley Jr. began his first year at LSU in 2019. The five-star prospect became a second-team All-SEC selection and a unanimous first-team All-American for the national champions in 2019 as a true freshman. Six interceptions, including two against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, tied him for eighth in the FBS. In 15 starts during that season, Stingley also recorded 38 tackles and 15 pass breakups.

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He was chosen for the first team of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) by the Associated Press as a freshman after leading the league with six interceptions and 21 passes intercepted (AP). He was also named to the first teams of the AP, American Football Coaches Association, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and USA Today, making him a unanimous All-American. Stingley made the All-SEC first team despite missing three games the next season due to illness and injuries.

With the exception of three starts, Stingley missed every game in 2021 due to injury.

The Houston Texans selected Stingley Jr. with the third overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Stingley’s four-year contract, which also has a fifth-year team option, pays him a $22.4 million signing bonus and totals $34.7 million.

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He comes from a football-playing family. While his grandpa, Darryl Stingley, played for the New England Patriots (selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft), his father, Derek Stingley Sr., played in the Arena Football League.