Raiders DL Darius Stills Named a Top 10 UDFA Signing

The former Mountaineer is expected to be one of the best undrafted free agents from the 2021 class.

Former West Virginia defensive tackle and Fairmont, WV native, Darius Stills went undrafted in the 2021 NFL Draft but it wasn't long after the draft that Stills announced his signing to the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent.

Stills had a breakout season in 2019 accumulating 64 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. His stats took a bit of a dip this year even with two fewer games but the stat sheet didn't really show how much of an impact he had on the Mountaineer defense. He drew so much attention after his junior season that teams began to double-team him and at times, that didn't even work. Stills finished his WVU career as a consensus All-American, the first since Dan Mozes back in 2006.

Stills' size had a lot to do with going undrafted but the talent and skill set are both there for him to be successful at the next level. In a recent article on CBS Sports, Chris Trapasso named Stills the 7th best undrafted free agent.

In his two years as a full-time player at West Virginia, Stills registered 9.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss -- good numbers, right? What if I told you Stills predominantly played on the nose, especially in 2020? Super impressive. During the pre-draft process I repeatedly mentioned on podcast and radio spots that Stills was the most agile defensive tackle prospect in the class.

He tested just like he plays -- as a high-level athlete for an interior defensive lineman. Stills could spin inside a phone booth. For the younger readers, the dimensions of a normal phone booth on street corners back in the day was about three feet by three feet. Tiny.

He can threaten multiple gaps regardless of where he's aligned because of his lateral juice, and he understands how to utilize pass-rushing moves to beat defensive linemen. He absolutely is small for the position at not even 280 pounds but has the athletic gifts, plan of attack when getting upfield, and the production to make a Raiders team that needs a steady one-technique rusher after the release of Maurice Hurst. 

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