WATCH: Ja'Marr Chase battles with top CB prospect in NFL Draft during college
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase went head-to-head versus one of the top cornerback prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft. Video footage shows the Bengals Pro Bowl receiver and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. as they faced one another during practice at LSU.
Both were teammates at LSU during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, and the practices between the two were quite physical.
: #NFLCombine continues tomorrow at 10:30am ET on @nflnetworkDerek Stingley Jr. vs. Ja'Marr Chase at @LSUfootball
Iron sharpens iron. 💯
📺: #NFLCombine continues tomorrow at 10:30am ET on @nflnetwork https://t.co/RrpDH2wzqe
In total, the Cincinnati receiver spent three seasons with LSU (2018 – 2020), and he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as college football’s best wide receiver. He was also a Consensus All-American that year. He led college football in receiving yards (1,780) and touchdown receptions (20).
Overall, Chase had 2,093 yards receiving and 23 touchdowns during his time in Baton Rouge. He opted out of his junior season in the 2020 season and entered the 2021 NFL Draft. Chase was drafted fifth overall by Cincinnati in 2021.
In his rookie season, he was targeted 128 times, catching 81 passes with 1,455 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.
The 81 receptions, 1,455 receiving yards, and 13 touchdown catches are the most for a Bengals rookie receiver in franchise history. He finished the 2021 season in the top 20 in catches, fourth in receiving yards, and third in touchdown catches. He was the 2021 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
.@Real10jayy__ is the Offensive Rookie of the Year! #NFLHonors (by @NFLALLDAY) https://t.co/bSoQy2sUHz
A Look at Derek Stingley Jr. : Ja'Marr Chase's former LSU Teammate
Like Chase, Stingley Jr. was a 2019 Consensus All-American for LSU. In 2019, the cornerback was fifth in college football and first in the SEC with five interceptions. He was fourth in the nation with 15 passes defended while leading the SEC.
However, the All-American will not be participating on the field at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis with the other defensive backs. The LSU cornerback is still recovering from a torn ligament in his left foot that needed surgery in September of 2021.
#LSU CB Derek Stingley Jr. says that he will do everything at pro day. Mentioned that what makes him special is his “football IQ, patience at the line, and attacking the ball in the air”, patterns his game after Champ Bailey. https://t.co/spfNSouxSQ
Although NFL teams may not get to see Stingley do much of anything on the field at the NFL Combine, he is certain that franchises will come to the conclusion he is the best cornerback in this year’s NFL Draft.
He spoke to the media at the combine, saying:
“I know myself, and I know that, when I’m at the best version of myself, I’m the greatest.”
Where will the 20-year-old's NFL journey start? We’ll have to wait until April to get that answer.