Stingley Jr. sends a message at LSU's Pro Day

After playing in just 10 games the last two seasons including the first three games this past year before a Lisfranc foot injury and subsequent surgery ended his three-year Tigers’ career, Stingley wasn’t physically ready to participate in February’s NFL combine.

But at LSU’s Pro Day on Wednesday in the indoor practice facility after he was cleared just three weeks ago by doctors to train rather than rehab, Stingley’s 4.37 40-yard dash time was the fastest of the 12 Tigers who showed their stuff to a mob of NFL front office personnel and scouts.

“I’ve spoke to a lot of teams and their message was to come out here today and be me,” said Stingley, who also had a 38½-inch vertical jump. “I just wanted to show nothing has changed over these past couple years. I wanted teams to see how I move.”

Stingley had six interceptions and 21 pass breakups on LSU’'s 2019 15-0 national championship team. Then, as a sophomore in the COVID-shortened 2020 10-game season, he was targeted just 30 times in the seven games he played (missing two games with an ankle injury, another with illness).

Last season as a junior was a complete wash for Stingley. He said he sustained a Lisfranc fracture on the first day of preseason camp and then re-injured it in practice the week of the Mississippi State game.

A Lisfranc joint injury is a type of injury to the bones or ligaments, or both, in the middle part of a foot. The Lisfranc joint is where the metatarsal bones in the midfoot and the tarsal bones around an ankle and heel are connected by a tough band of tissue. The joint stabilizes the arch and helps maintain proper foot alignment.

“When I hurt it, it was painful,” Stingley said. “But the good thing is once you get it fixed, you'll never worry about it again. So, I feel fine right now. It doesn’t even feel like I hurt it in the first place.”

After Stingley rehabbed at Exos Sports Performance in Gulf Breeze, Fla., he moved to Exos branch in Frisco, Texas just outside Dallas to work on the drills required by the NFL at the combine and in individual schools Pro Days.

“The last three weeks, I really started to turn it up,” Stingley said. “I knew I was gonna come out here and do this.”

Stingley, who admitted afterwards he didn’t feel 100 percent until two days ago, looked sharp in the individual position drills. He cut sharply, accelerated quickly, and jumped easily intercepting deep passes.

Other Tigers who showed their Pro Day stuff, such as defensive lineman Glen Logan, weren’t surprised by Stingley’s performance.

“That dude’s amazing, I ain’t gonna lie,” Logan said. “That’s `Sting’ every day. He’s the best defensive back I’ve ever seen, the best defensive back in this draft. He went against Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase (in practice in 2019). He’s battle-tested.”

Stingley wasn’t the only previously injured LSU player who needed to show the NFL eyes on hand that he was fully healed.

Logan, who returned to LSU last year as a sixth-year senior, broke his right foot (for a second time) last preseason and missed the first six games. After training in Fresno, Ca. since late January, the 6 foot 2¾ inch 298 pound-Logan ran a 4.99 in the first of his two Pro Day 40-yard dashes.

“I’ve had a lot of questions from (NFL) teams about my foot,” said Logan, who was happy he won a bet with former LSU defensive lineman Rashard Lawrence of the Arizona Cardinals that his 40-yard dash time would be faster than Lawrence’s two years ago. “I feel I answered those questions today.”

Also, defensive end Andre Anthony got emotional after he ran a 4.63 40-yard dash. Anthony got off to the best start of his LSU career last season with three sacks and a 33-yard fumble recovery return before tearing an anterior cruciate knee ligament in the first half of game three vs. Central Michigan.

“I just got cleared (by his doctor) last Thursday,” Anthony said. “Everything I’ve been through since the injury; I haven’t been able to do much. So, to come out here and run a 4.63 off natural ability and do the drills is unbelievable.”

Finally, the Tiger who had the best overall day was Jontre Kirklin, who had 20 career catches for 313 yards and three TDs as a wide receiver fighting for playing time the last four seasons. A former high school quarterback, he completed 7 of 11 passes for 138 yards, three TDs and two interceptions as LSU’s starter in the Tigers’ Texas Bowl Jan. 2 Texas Bowl loss to Kansas State when LSU had no scholarship quarterback available.

Kirklin had the top Pro Day vertical jump (42 inches) and broad jump (11 feet 6 inches). Also, Kirklin not only worked out in receiving drills but as a defensive back as well.

“I prepped at cornerback for two years back in my freshman and sophomore (LSU) years,” Kirklin said. “It’s just kind of a little second nature. I got to knock a little bit of the rust off, just like with quarterback.”

Besides Stingley Jr., Logan, Anthony and Kirklin, other Tigers who participated in drills were running back Ty Davis-Price, offensive linemen Austin Deculus and Chasen Hines, defensive lineman Neil Farrell Jr., defensive backs Cordale Flott, Darren Evans and Cam Lewis, and center Liam Shanahan.

Former LSU tight end Jamal Pettigrew, who transferred to McNeese two seasons ago, also participated.

Not all players chose to test in all five drills. Here are the results of each drill:

Bench press (No. of reps at 225 pounds): Shanahan 28, Deculus 24, Anthony 21, Hines and Pettigrew 20 each, Logan 18, Evans 11, Kirklin 10.

Vertical jump: Kirklin 42 inches, Stingley 38½, Evans 37, Pettigrew 36½, Lewis 36, Price 35½, Flott 34, Shanahan 30½, Hines 29½, Logan 27½.

Broad jump: Kirklin 11 feet 6 inches, Green 11, Flott and Stingley 10-2 each, Price 9-10, Pettigrew 9-9, Lewis 9-3, Logan 9-2, Shanahan 8-7.

40-yard dash (Best of two times if a player chose to run twice): Stingley 4.37 seconds, Flott 4.4, Evans 4.48, Kirklin 4.52, Lewis 4.57, Anthony 4.63, Pettigrew 4.67, Logan 4.99, Deculus 5.0, Shanahan 5.14, Farrell 5.33.

20-yard shuttle: Flott 4.1 seconds, Stingley 4.19, Kirklin 4.3, Evans 4.31, Lewis 4.4, Pettigrew 4.55, Shanahan 4.69, Logan 4.75, Hines 5.0, Farrell 5.05.

3-Cone: Evans 6.7 seconds, Flott 6.94, Kirklin and Stingley 7.0 each, Davis-Price 7.25, Pettigrew 7.3, Lewis 7.34, Shanahan 7.39, Logan 7.88, Hines 8.46.