The Minnesota Vikings need cornerback help, and one player that would improve their secondary is Derek Stingley Jr.

The Vikings possess the No. 12 pick in the NFL Draft, and there are plenty of directions they could go. Cornerback? Offensive line? Defensive Tackle? In my opinion, the secondary is still the biggest need.

The best cornerback in this draft is Stingley Jr., and it’s not even close. Will he be there at pick 12? There’s a good chance he will be because of his history of injuries. When healthy, Minnesota would be gaining a potential top-10 cornerback in the NFL.

Health is the only issue when it comes to Stingley Jr. Since 2020, he’s played in 10 games. That’s a total of eight games in that span. It wasn’t like it was one injury, and he was able to come back next season by Week 2. Instead, they were separate injuries.

Stingley Jr. was able to perform recently at his Pro Day, which suggests he’s fully recovered from the torn ligament in his foot. Foot injuries might be the top-three scariest injury you can suffer.

Those types of injuries seem to always flare up again, and that may be the case with Stingley Jr. However, he’s an elite option at the cornerback position.

Pro Football Focus has him as their No. 3 overall prospect on their big board. In 2019, he finished with a PFF grade of 91.7, which ranked No. 1 at his position. Then came the injuries, and he followed that up with a 72.1 in 2020 and 66.6 (154 snaps) last season.

That 2019 season is what you’re banking on. He’s been a starter since he was a freshman and has allowed a 41.1 percent completion grade in his three years at Louisiana State.

Pro Day numbers:

• 4.37 40-yard dash
• 38.5″ vertical
• 10’2″ broad

He will be just fine.

Stingley Jr. has elite ball-catching skills, which is somewhat rare for cornerbacks. There’s a reason these guys are playing that position, and it’s because they don’t have the hands to be a wide receiver.

During his freshman season, he finished with six interceptions. He failed to catch any during his sophomore and junior season, but as I said before, you’re banking on his health and his performance in his first year.

This rarely happens, but when Stingley Jr. gets burnt, he has elite speed to make up for it. There’s plenty of tape on him that shows how well he recovers. He also possesses a great change of direction.

A rare trait from such a young cornerback is patience, but Stingley Jr. doesn’t allow his man to juke him at the line of scrimmage.

There’s a lot to like about Stingley Jr., and if it wasn’t for his history of injuries, you’re talking about a guy who’d probably go top-5. However, because of these recent struggles, the Vikings have a great chance to get their hands on one of the best cornerbacks we’ll see coming out of college.