WV DT Darius Stills Meets with the Los Angeles Rams

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Florida_Ram

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DL Darius Stills Meets with the Los Angeles Rams

Interior Defensive Lineman

6'1 285 lbs

West Virginia defensive lineman Darius Stills met virtually with the Los Angeles Rams
CHRISTOPHER HALL6 HOURS AGO

According to Justin Melo of the Draft Network, add the Los Angeles Rams to the list of teams West Virginia defensive lineman Darius Stills has met leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft.

Stills has now met with the Jets, 49ers, Texans, Chargers, Falcons, Bengals, Eagles, Washington, Buccaneers, and the Seahawks.

he Fairmont, WV native finished his senior campaign with 25 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, and an interception in an abbreviated 11 game season. He ended his career with 85 tackles, including 25.5 tackles for a loss, 21 of those came in the last two seasons, and 11.5 sacks.

Darius Stills 2020 Accolades

AP First-Team All-Big 12 Conference

Coaches First-Team All-Big 12 Conference

Big 12 Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year

Bleacher Report's 2020 College Football All-American

ESPN All-American

Sporting News First Team All-American

USA Today First-Team All-American

AP First-Team All-American

Coaches First-Team All-American

Second Team Walter Camp All-American

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[www.si.com]

Darius Stills is a quick mover off of the snap. He uses his natural leverage to his advantage by remaining low, which helps him win quickly in a multitude of ways. Having overwhelming hand strength/power at the point of attack, he plays very aggressively and isn’t shy with using them quickly.

Few match his suddenness and play violence off of the line, which are the main culprits of how he experiences so much success. A consistent pressure generator, he can disrupt pockets with straight ahead rushing attacks or get home on twists/stunts as the looper.

A motor that constantly runs hot, even as an interior rusher, he has outside of the tackle box type of range in ball pursuit when chasing plays down. He is very undisciplined in his approach as a run defender.

He will do many outlandish moves in order to create penetration, but in turn it leaves his gap voided for gaping running lanes for ball-carriers. Stills is a true up-the-field penetrator that doesn’t yet understand the meaning/discipline behind run fits.

As a pass rusher, he’s developed the habit of winning so quickly that when faced with blockers who can match his intensity/strength, he lacks an effective counter move.

As a result, he often gets stuck and left experimenting with tactics to see which eventually become effective for him in that moment.

Ideal Role: Rotational 3-technique that could develop into a starter.

Scheme Fit: Used mostly as a penetrating 3-technique that’s able to create vertical push and disruption.
[thedraftnetwork.com]

The Top Five Rated Interior Defensive Lineman (SSI.com)

With the report cards for the 2020 NFL draft completed, NFLDraftScout is turning its attention to the class of 2021, offering a quick “First Take” with rankings and perspective of the relative strengths and weaknesses of each position group.

There is more proven talent at defensive tackle than at end but this is another positional group which has been picked apart by the NFL in recent years and therefore needs potential to start turning into production.

Only two defensive tackles were drafted in the first round a year ago, with the Carolina Panthers plucking Auburn’s Derrick Brown at 8 overall and the San Francisco 49ers using the 14 pick on South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw, a cheaper, younger version (or so GM John Lynch hopes) to traded standout DeForest Buckner.

Teams looking for a plug and play solution will like Florida State senior Marvin Wilson, who has the bulk and strength to remind many of former Seminoles (and current Chicago Bears) standout Eddie Goldman.

The prototypically-built Wilson is currently the only senior defensive tackle to have a first round grade.

He likely would have joined Brown and Kinlaw in the first round a year ago despite missing four games due to a hand injury. In nine starts last season, Wilson followed up a breakout sophomore campaign (41 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks) by setting career-highs in every category (44-8.5-5.0) while serving as a team captain.

Wilson turned heads earlier this week, accusing new Florida State head coach Mike Norvel of lying about interactions with the team, while the nation reels with racial turmoil. Wilson claimed that he and his teammates were “outraged” and would not be working out “until further notice.”

Fortunately, Wilson and Norvell have since met, and through admirable transparency and leadership on both sides, the Seminoles have agreed to three significant actions including getting every FSU player registered to vote.

Wilson’s combination of physical and character traits could earn him a spot in the top 10 a year from now, similar to the grade Brown received.

Teams in search of other run-stuffers have plenty of potential options available to them, including USC’s Jay Tufele, Alabama’s Phidarian Mathis, LSU’s Tyler Shelvin, Texas A&M’s Bobby Brown III and BYU’s Khyiris Tonga.

There are quick gap-splitters among this class, as well, including Pittsburgh’s Jaylen Twyman (10.5 sacks in 2019) and Colorado’s Mustafa Johnson (7.5 sacks in 2018) who could leap up draft boards this fall if they can build upon prior success rushing the quarterback.

Washington’s Levi Onwuzurike doesn’t have much national name recognition yet, but scouts like his consistency and reliability. He is a prime candidate to enjoy a breakout senior campaign, already generating interest from Jim Nagy and the Senior Bowl.

The Top Five
1. Marvin Wilson 6-4, 311 Florida State
2. Jay Tufele 6-2, 310 Southern Cal
3. Phidarian Mathis 6-3, 312 Alabama
4. Jaylen Twyman 6-2, 290 Pittsburgh
5. Levi Onwuzurike 6-2, 293 Washington

Best of the Rest
6. Nyles Pinckney 6-1, 295 Clemson

7. Tyler Shelvin 6-2, 346 LSU

8. Kyree Campbell 6-2 304 Florida

9. Mustafa Johnson 6-2, 290 Colorado

10. Darius Stills 6-1, 290 West Virginia

11. *Jordan Williams 6-3, 310 Clemson

12. *Bobby Brown III 6-3, 325 Texas A&M

13. Khyiris Tonga 6-3, 340 BYU

14. Brandon Pili 6-3 325 Southern Cal

15. Xavier Kelly 6-3, 305 Arkansas

16. *Aubrey Solomon 6-4 306 Tennessee

17. Tyrone Truesdell 6-2, 310 Auburn

18. Naquan Jones 6-3, 339 Michigan State

19. Lorenzo Neal 6-2 315 Purdue

20. Jordon Scott 6-1, 322 Oregon

[www.si.com]

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jrry32

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Good. I like him a lot. He needs development, as he's an undisciplined player right now. But you can't teach explosion, natural leverage, or consistent penetration. He's also a pretty stout guy, despite his size. Reminds me of Mike Daniels coming out of Iowa.
 

Loyal

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Of course you want the physically talented guy with quick explosion, but can you change someone who leaves huge gaps for the run game because he tried some bizarre move in the pass rush? You will try to retrain this reflex out of him that made him successful in college, but will get him shredded by a good running team as a pro.... It concerns me becuse if you have a weak link, teams will expoit it...
 

Hram

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Sounds like the type player the Rams like to draft then stash on the practice squad for a year redshirting them so they can learn and be prepared for some play their second year.
 

SteezyEndo

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Of course you want the physically talented guy with quick explosion, but can you change someone who leaves huge gaps for the run game because he tried some bizarre move in the pass rush? You will try to retrain this reflex out of him that made him successful in college, but will get him shredded by a good running team as a pro.... It concerns me becuse if you have a weak link, teams will expoit it...
You also can’t rely on prospects. It can be hit or miss. You get a sample size and it comes down to proving it when its real.
 

rdlkgliders

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Sounds like the type player the Rams like to draft then stash on the practice squad for a year redshirting them so they can learn and be prepared for some play their second year.
I like these types of players rnd 6 or later in the udfa market especially in a year skinny on draft equity
 

jrry32

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Of course you want the physically talented guy with quick explosion, but can you change someone who leaves huge gaps for the run game because he tried some bizarre move in the pass rush? You will try to retrain this reflex out of him that made him successful in college, but will get him shredded by a good running team as a pro.... It concerns me becuse if you have a weak link, teams will expoit it...

Yeah, I think so. It's not that he's trying to pass rush on running plays. It's that he's trying to attack the backfield instead of playing his gap. You can coach that out of a young player if he wants to learn. I'd rather take my chances on that on Day 3 than grab a guy who is a JAG.