How Did Darius Stills Go Undrafted?
It never seemed like a matter of if former West Virginia defensive lineman Darius Stills would get drafted but more of when he would get drafted. Most mock drafts had him as a day three pick ranging anywhere from the 4th-7th round of the draft. As the picks continued to be announced late into day three, you could see it coming that all 32 teams were going to pass up on him.
When you look at the players that were being drafted, it was not making sense that a Consensus All-American was being picked over by long snappers, kickers, and defensive tackles that accomplished nothing near the achievements that Stills did. Was it a matter of size? Speed? Strength? Fit? Or the fact that teams didn't get to see him compete at the Reese's Senior Bowl for the final stamp of approval?
To help dive into why Stills went undrafted, I caught up with Lorenz Leinweber of the NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated to get his take.
Lorenz's Analysis
It was a surprise to not see former Mountaineers defensive tackle Darius Stills selected during last week's NFL Draft. Despite putting together strong junior and senior campaigns, Stills was overlooked throughout the draft process and did not receive a senior bowl invite.
The All-American displayed a very quick first step, getting after quarterbacks aligning as a nose tackle in West Virginia’s three-man front. A gap penetrator, Stills was able to establish a half-man relationship off the ball before dipping and ripping his way past opposing blockers. Outside of that, his pass rush arsenal was limited. As a run defender, Stills was a bull in a china shop. While he got into the backfield to disrupt plays, he would also find himself out of position, not maintaining gap integrity.
Overall, the defensive tackle was well worth a selection on the third day of the draft, fitting a gap penetration scheme as a three-technique. He did not have injury concerns, playing in 43 collegiate games. Stills falling out of the draft had to do with teams having a difficult time seeing him stick on their rosters. His explosiveness failed to help him overcome concerns about run defense. At his size, Stills is also unlikely to play nose tackle in the league, which was his position in college.
Landing with the Las Vegas Raiders is promising for Stills, as Jon Gruden’s squad is thin at defensive tackle. During the draft, they did not add a player at the position. Stills has a real chance to make their roster if he can prove scouts wrong about his skills.
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