5 Houston Texans players that are certified building blocks for the future
- Dalton Schultz will be an impact player on the Texans
- Will Anderson Jr. will only get better over time
- CJ Stroud has star player written all over him
No. 3 Texans certified building block for the future: Derek Stingley Jr., CB
Teams usually expect early draft picks, especially those selected in the top 10, to contribute from Day 1, so you could make the case that cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. had an underwhelming rookie campaign. The former LSU Tiger dealt got off to a somewhat slow start and later a hamstring injury forced him to miss most of the second half of the season.
Not having the chance to step on the football field and learn on the job hindered his development but there are reasons to believe he'll make huge strides in his sophomore year. In fact, he is being projected to have a breakout season in 2023 and it's easy to see why. He's now healthy and feels stronger. On top of that, he says the game has significantly slowed down.
Last year, the Louisiana native gave up 12.5 yards per reception and a 67.3 percent completion rate when targeted. He should have no trouble improving in both areas and increasing his interception totals in 2023, having registered just one, along with four passes defensed as a rookie.
The fact that the Texans didn't make any big additions to their cornerback room besides re-signing Tavierre Thomas goes on to show that the top brass believes Stingley can put it all together in 2023, and why would he not?