The Houston Texans are in play to take a cornerback in the 2022 NFL draft, and the fact the club has two Round 1 picks to play with at Nos. 3 and 13 overall makes the selection even more likely.
Going back to the 2020 season, the Texans were linked to LSU cornerback Derek Stingley in mock drafts. However, other position needs rose above cornerback, as did the emergence of Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner.
However, if the Texans were to take Stingley, it could be because he reminds general manager Nick Caserio of an All-Pro he had while the director of player personnel with the New England Patriots.
According to Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield from the Touchdown Wire, the one comparison that Stingley draws is to Indianapolis Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who was with the Patriots from 2017-20.
Is Stingley’s injury history and sub-par play the past two seasons enough to overshadow what we saw in 2019? Probably not. If a team believes they can get that kind of performance from Stingley on a consistent level as he transitions to the league, they might have him as CB1 on their board. If, however, a team is uncertain whether they are getting the 2019 version or the 2020-2021 version, they might be more skeptical. At his best, Stingley reminds of Stephon Gilmore in his ability to shut down opposing receivers in both man and zone concepts.
Caserio told reporters on April 21 that the Texans aren’t pigeonholed at cornerback, but rather seek to make the best pick for the team overall.
“Ultimately, the most important thing is for us to make the best decision for our team and just to keep moving forward, and whomever we pick, whoever that player is, whatever position he plays, he’s here, he’s ours and we’re going to do the best we can to develop him,” said Caserio.
If Caserio and company believe that adding a cornerback similar to Gilmore makes them a better team, then Houston could add a defensive back who has a familiar skillset.
