The Minnesota Vikings Are Hoping for Their Own Marshon Lattimore

Sep 26, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) intercepts a pass against New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

It’s no secret that the Minnesota Vikings have one major need ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft: cornerback. That need has been written about a number of times on this site as well as many others across the NFL universe. As we have gotten closer to the draft, the focus seems to have quickly shifted from Ahmad Gardner to Derek Stingley Jr. as Gardner continues to fly up the boards. However, it’s quite hard to project how effective Stingley could be on an NFL field because, well, we’ve barely seen him on a collegiate one. Despite this, I have reason to believe that we have a best-case scenario comparison. Look no further than New Orleans Saints Pro Bowler, Marshon Lattimore.

Comparing the Measurements

Right off the bat, the measurables between Lattimore as a prospect and Stingley as a prospect are uncanny. They are virtually the same size, with Lattimore standing at 6’0 and 192 pounds while Stingley is 6’1 and 195 pounds. Each player has great length at the CB position as well with Lattimore’s arm length measuring in at 31 1/4 inches and Stingley’s being 30 5/8 inches.

Not only are they virtually clones of each other in terms of build, but they have very similar speed and explosiveness as well. Stingley’s LSU pro day was on Wednesday, and he recorded a 4.44 40-yard dash. Lattimore was a tad faster, running a 4.36 at the 2017 scouting combine. The vertical jumps were the exact same between the two prospects as well at 38.5 inches.

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Pre-Draft Narratives

When looking at tape, it’s hard to deny that, at his best, Derek Stingley Jr. is one of the better draft prospects we’ve seen at the cornerback position. If you haven’t done so, pull up a few of his 2019 games from LSU’s championship season on YouTube. As aforementioned though, the problem is that he simply doesn’t have a ton of that top-tier tape. The 2020 season was a bummer by his standards, and 2021 was injury riddled.

If you go into the time capsule back to the 2017 draft process, there were very similar concerns with Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore. Throughout his Buckeye career, Lattimore had chronic hamstring problems, even requiring him to have surgery at one point. These concerns only heightened when he seemingly pulled up during his second 40-yard dash attempt at the combine.

The lack of high-quality tape was a concern as well. Lattimore declared for the draft following his sophomore season at Ohio State, meaning he had just one season as a starter before going into the 2017 draft. Some felt that this would lead to some growing pains in the NFL. They were proven wrong very quickly after he was selected 11th overall by the Saints. Could Stingley end up as the 12th overall pick and follow suit for the Vikings?

College/NFL Pipelines

In recent years, the New Orleans Saints have a very clear connection to Ohio State prospects. Malcolm Jenkins has had two stints with the team since being drafted in 2009 by the Saints. They took star wide receiver Michael Thomas in the second round during 2016. Obviously, they ended up selecting Lattimore at 11th overall in 2017. Even in 2021, they took an Ohio State linebacker in the second round, Pete Werner. The pipeline from Buckeye to Saint is obvious.

A similar pipeline exists from LSU Tiger to Minnesota Viking. On the current team there are a number of former Tigers. Danielle Hunter donned the jersey. Justin Jefferson was a first-round selection from LSU in 2020. Even 2021 free agent acquistion, Patrick Peterson, went to LSU back in the day. The veteran cornerback has also given his ringing endorsement for the Vikings to select Stingley in the first round.

Final Thoughts

Of course, there is no certainty when it comes to the NFL Draft. Even in my recent mock draft, I did not have the Vikings taking Derek Stingley because he was already off the board. However, if history does anything in the draft, it certainly continues to repeat itself. That’s what Vikings fans should be hoping for when April 28th rolls around.

The similarities between Derek Stingley and Marshon Lattimore, especially in their draft processes, are eerily similar. If fate means anything in this world, Stingley really should end up as a Minnesota Viking. Then, if he can follow in similar footsteps of Lattimore, the Vikings cannot do much better than one of the very best CBs in the NFL.

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