Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley isn’t learning about the NFL merely through the trial and error process of training camp. The first-round pick is also leaning on advice from veterans.
According to receiver Chris Conley, the No. 3 overall pick from LSU asks him plenty of questions after practice.
“I think that he’s not afraid to ask questions,” Conley told reporters on Aug. 11 at NRG Stadium. “He’s asked me a number of questions after practice. He’s pulled me to the side and asked me what was going through my head.”
It is understandable that Stingley would pick Brandin Cooks’ brain given that the receiver has produced six 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his previous eight in the NFL. However, Stingley is also talking to quarterback Davis Mills, too.
Said Conley: “Because he wants as much information as he can get, and when you take someone who’s willing to learn like that and then you add the athletic ability that I’m sure everyone in this room knows he has, that could be a dangerous combination, and we’re excited to see it.”
Stingley’s previous two seasons at LSU were marred by injury or the overall disjointed reality most people lived with in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. However, the basis for Stingley’s promise in the NFL comes from his freshman season in 2019 when he had 15 pass breakups and six interceptions to help LSU win the CFP National Championship.
If the Texans are able to get that level of athletic ability from Stingley, who is also trying to acquire as much knowledge of the game as he can beforehand, it should help Houston rebuild their secondary in a hurry.
