With just four games remaining in the regular season for the LSU Tigers, we look ahead towards the offseason. More importantly, which players could we see get the call to the NFL during the draft.
The top name on the list will absolutely be Derek Stingley Jr, despite the inconsistency on the field and the number of injuries. He has tremendous upside and is viewed as the No.1 cornerback in the draft.
Per Mel Kiper on ESPN (subscription required)
I wrote a little about Stingley and his ceiling last month, and he’s the top corner in this class even though he hasn’t been consistently great since 2019 (and now is dealing with a foot injury that has kept him out for more than a month). This ranking is all about his upside. His freshman film, when he was one of the best players on LSU’s national title team, is tremendous. He didn’t play as well last season, but that can mostly be attributed to the entire LSU defense being dreadful. He has shown that he can lock down SEC receivers. There are going to be questions about his up-and-down play, but NFL teams will see more good tape than bad and draft him based on his ceiling.
One name that is starting to catch some buzz at this point in the season is linebacker Damone Clark.
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Clark currently leads the nation in tackles and could set a record at LSU for the most tackles in a single season. Next year we could see Clark added to the list of LSU linebackers in the NFL. A list that already includes Devin White and Deion Jones, among others.
Clark is ranked as the No. 5 inside linebacker according to Kiper. Devin Lloyd (Utah), Nakobe Dean (Georgia), Christian Harris (Alabama), and Jack Campbell (Iowa) are ahead of him.
LSU Tigers on Kiper’s rankings:
- Derek Stingley Jr: No. 1 Cornerback
- Damone Clark: No. 5 Inside Linebacker
- Ed Ingram: No. 10 Offensive Guard
- Ali Gaye: No. 10A Edge
- Cade York: No. 1 Kicker