LSU Connection Could Lure Top Rookie to Vikings in April

Here’s a little secret – if the 2022 NFL Draft was conducted today, the Minnesota Vikings would likely select a cornerback. They need one. Cameron Dantzler is the CB1, and the men underneath on the depth chart aren’t renowned football players.

Therefore, in most mock drafts from February, Minnesota is either linked to Ahmad Gardner, Trent McDuffie, Andrew Booth Jr., or Derek Stingley Jr. The CB-needy team is targeting the best-of-the-best CBs in the upcoming draft.

Gardner is the fan favorite for now —  probably because he has the cool nickname of Sauce – but one of the other corners could likely end up with the Vikings. That’s Derek Stingley Jr. from LSU.

Stingley Jr. would fit nicely in Minnesota for a couple of reasons. Foremost, he played with Justin Jefferson at LSU in 2019 – the Joe Burrow championship season. That isn’t an end-all for draft placement with a team, but it is noteworthy. The Vikings enjoy LSU alumni – from Jefferson, Danielle Hunter, Patrick Peterson, to perhaps Stingley Jr.

Then, Stingley Jr.’s defensive coordinator from LSU in 2021 re-joined the Vikings staff last week. His name is Daronte Jones, and he was Minnesota’s defensive backs coach in 2020 before heading south for a season to lead LSU’s defense. Now, he’s back, as the Vikings rebrand with new leadership.

VikingsTerritory types this a lot pertaining to football topics: Those relationships matter.

You better believe Jones would salivate over the possibility of coaching his protégé again in the NFL – a protégé who would likely start on Day One of the Vikings 2022 regular season. Stingley Jr. is a sure-fire 1^st-Rounder, so the only question becomes whether he’ll be available at #12 for Minnesota. Stingley Jr. was teammates with Justin Jefferson, his defensive coordinator is now employed by the other purple and gold team, and the Vikings need cornerbacks. It’s a trifecta.

Plus, Stingley Jr.’s father, Derek Sr., opined last summer his son adores Jones’ tutelage. On The Jordy Colutta Show in July, Stingley Sr. said:

“I was really impressed with Jones. I believe you could see the passion coming through. I believe he’s gonna relate to these kids and do what’s best for them. Derek really likes him, he’s already had a few conversations with him, personal conversations where coach Jones reached out to him and called him on certain occasions.”

Derek Stingley Sr. | The Jordy Colutta Show

While draft stock still has two months to fluctuate, Stingley Jr. to the Vikings is a reasonable possibility. Too many factors exist to ignore it.

The draft takes begins on April 28^th in Las Vegas.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).