Patrick Peterson Has Draft Endorsement for Vikings in Round 1
Dustin Baker
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Until last week, Patrick Peterson made it clear a few times he wanted to return with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022, but it was unclear if the team’s new general management shared the same sentiment.
Alas, after weeks of maybes, Peterson indeed rejoined the Vikings on a one-year, $4 million extension. Peterson will partner with Cameron Dantzler and Chandon Sullivan to fill out a revised Vikings cornerback room under new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.
And left up to Peterson, the Vikings would get even richer for CB depth in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Unsurprisingly, that man is — you guessed it — a corner from the same school Peterson attended, LSU. The player is Derek Stingley Jr., commonly linked to Minnesota via mock drafts, especially after Ahmad Gardner’s stock rose after the NFL Combine.
On Peterson’s podcast, All Things Covered, the veteran Viking weighed in:
“I think he would fit in great. Coming in being able to have a strong force into the defense at an early age right out of the gate. He has that type of potential. When he gets on the football field, and he’s healthy and all locked in, he’s one of the best to ever do it on the college level. If he’s there, I think he’d be a perfect match. His ball skills. His athletic ability. He has the total package. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was in school: just how agile he is at the line, how physical he is at the line of scrimmage, his press technique, how he’s able to locate the ball when he’s not looking at the quarterback. Those are some of the things that may seem little, but it goes a long way, and it’s a difference between intercepting the ball and a guy catching the ball on you. He’s a special one, man.“
Patrick Peterson | All Things Covered Podcast
A Stingley Jr. addition would instantly bolster Minnesota’s CB depth chart like this:
- CB1: Patrick Peterson
- CB2: Cameron Dantzler
- CB3; Derek Stingley Jr.
- CB4: Chandon Sullivan
- CB5: Nate Hairston
- CB6: Kris Boyd
- CB7: Harrison Hand
- CB8: Parry Nickerson
- CB9: Tye Smith
And truth be told, that group would probably do the trick, particularly in an NFC North division sans talents like Davante Adams and Allen Robison. For some reason, there was a mass exodus of talent from the Bears and Packers in March.
The Draft Network describes Stingley Jr. like this:
“Stingley Jr. was an impact player for the Tigers, leading the team with six interceptions and also showing his physicality by accounting for more than 30 tackles. Stingley Jr.’s 2020 and 2021 seasons have been inconsistent at best due to a bevy of coaching changes and missing games due to injuries. Stingley Jr. has elite speed and fluid hips that allow him to match wide receivers step for step in and out of breaks while also possessing a rare instinctual ability to intercept passes thrown his way. Stingley Jr.’s elite athleticism and rare ball skills make him a generational talent at cornerback.”
– The Draft Network
It’s hit or miss if Peterson will get his wish. Some draft pundits foresee Stingley Jr. flying off the board before the Vikings 12th pick, whereas others slide the LSU alumnus down to 17th or so with a presumed rush by teams to draft quarterbacks.
The NFL Draft takes place in three and a half weeks in Las Vegas.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. 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).
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