Top CB Prospect Derek Stingley Jr. Won't Work Out at Combine Due to Lisfranc Injury

LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. will not work out Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine because of a foot injury.

According to ESPN's Jeff Legwold, Stingley said he is still recovering from the Lisfranc injury that cut his 2021 collegiate season short.

Stingley gave a positive update regarding his recovery, though, saying: "My rehab is ahead of schedule right now. ... I'm on pace to do what I have to do at pro day."

The Bleacher Report NFL Scouting Department ranks Stingley as the No. 1 cornerback in the 2022 NFL draft and the No. 7 overall player. He was also mocked to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 12 overall in B/R's latest mock draft.

Stingley only appeared in three games last season because of the injury he suffered in late September., and he said doctors gave him a recovery timetable of four to six months.

The highly touted defensive back added that he is "almost close to 100 percent," and he said none of the NFL teams he spoke to expressed concern about the injury.

Stingley burst on to the scene in 2019 as a freshman at LSU, racking up 38 tackles, 15 passes defended and six interceptions for a Tigers team that went undefeated and won the national championship.

At that point, it was assumed Stingley would be a surefire top-five pick when he was draft eligible, and he was even viewed as a potential No. 1 overall selection.

The perception changed a bit over the next two years, though, as injuries severely limited him in both 2020 and 2021.

Stingley played just seven games in 2020 and three games in 2021, and he didn't record an interception in either season.

Part of that may have been down to a lack of opportunities, however, with teams often choosing to throw away from him when he was healthy and on the field.

Even with some question marks existing with regard to his durability, Stingley still figures to come off the board fairly early in the 2022 NFL draft.

He will likely find himself in a battle with Cincinnati's Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner and Washington's Trent McDuffie to be the first cornerback taken, but it would be surprising if Stingley falls outside the top 15.