ESPN’s GM mock draft sends Cowboys steal in LSU’s Derek Stingley, Jr.

The Cowboys don’t have a glaring need, but as @BenGrimaldi points out, fortifying a strength isn’t the worst thing in the world nor something the club is allergic to.

With the No. 24 pick, it’s tougher to pin down what the Dallas Cowboys might do in Round 1. There are too many variables to work out with 23 picks ahead of them. It’s even more difficult when there are four teams ahead of them with multiple picks, including the rival New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, who have three selections before the Cowboys have their turn.

The Dallas Cowboys have been one of the better drafting teams in the league recently. They are by no means perfect, but on most occasions, they are building the team with solid drafts under Vice President of Player Personnel Will McClay. No position should be off the table for the Cowboys, even ones not seen as an immediate need. So if an opportunity presents itself to add a stud talent, they should. And that’s what happened in ESPN’s GM mock draft when they lucked into LSU CB Derek Stingley, Jr.

It would be a very interesting pick for the Cowboys. The defense already has a stacked group of corners, including three high round selections in the last two drafts.

Third-year CB Trevon Diggs, who led the NFL in interceptions last season, is an All Pro, while last year’s second round pick Kelvin Joseph pushed for a starting role late in the year as a rookie. Nahshon Wright was a surprise third-round pick in the 2021 draft and has yet to make his mark as a CB, but he was a favorite of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, so the hope is he turns out to be a player.

Veteran CB Anthony Brown was the starter opposite Diggs in 2021 and is coming off his best season with three interceptions, while the versatile slot CB Jourdan Lewis remains an integral part of the secondary as well. Brown’s contract is set to expire after this season and Lewis’ runs out at the end of the 2023, so the Cowboys might have the idea to maintain the positions strength by drafting Stingley.

If the Cowboys did draft Stingley, that’s a crowded CB room that runs six deep, with five corners who have the ability to be starters. They say you can never have enough cornerbacks and the Cowboys might be willing to test the theory out.

Stingley is expected to be selected long before the Cowboys’ first pick, but strange things happen in the draft. He was an instrumental piece of LSU’s 2019 National Championship run, where Stingley was a consensus All-American as a true freshman. During that season, Stingley had six interceptions and 15 passes defensed in what was regarded as one of the best freshmen years in college football.

There are good reasons to like Stingley, who has the prototypical profile for what an elite CB looks like. Stingley’s got the size, speed, athleticism and skills to excel in the NFL.

However, Stingley hasn’t lived up to the hype after his first season at LSU. He has been limited to just 10 games in the last two seasons and a foot injury ended Stingley’s junior year prematurely.

Last year’s first round selection of linebacker Micah Parsons turned out to be a home run for the Cowboys and the hope is the trend continues. Drafting for ceiling instead of glaring need has worked out for Dallas. It’s how they scored a talent like wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in the 2020 draft. Yet there are positions where help is still needed. Offensive line is surely one of those spots, as are receiver, linebacker and the defensive end position too.

True to form, however, owner and GM Jerry Jones tipped what the Cowboys might be thinking, and it looks like they could be zeroing in on offensive line talent. The offensive line is an area where the organization needs an upgrade, but only time will tell if Jones is bluffing.

The draft process is ongoing, and it’s conceivable Stingley could slide down draft boards come late April, but he’s still expected to be a top 15 pick. If the Cowboys did have the opportunity to make this selection, it would be difficult to pass up the potential of having Diggs and Stingley as their starting CB’s. If Stingley regains his form, it will make for one of the best starting tandems in the league and give Dallas one of the best cornerback groups in the game.

Cornerback isn’t one of the Cowboys’ biggest needs, but if the team got the chance to make Stingley the pick at 24, he might be too hard to pass up.

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