It’s been a long time coming for West Virginia DT Dante Stills. For years, he was overshadowed on the defensive line by his brother, Darius Stills. In the offseason, rather than jumping ship to the NFL, Dante returned to the Mountaineers. With the season opener now behind us, it’s time to take a look at Dante Stills and look at why he could be a mid-round 2022 NFL Draft gem.
You can check out this article from last year on Dante Stills.
Dante Stills has been named a @PFF_College Preseason All American. #TrustTheClimb pic.twitter.com/MYaBoNUKU1
— WVU Football (@WVUfootball) June 28, 2021
When it comes to watching film on Dante Stills, it’s difficult not to fall in love with his skillset and abilities. He’s a tremendous force on the defensive line and has a knack for disrupting the pocket. Below, I’ve embedded a tweet that displays his quickness off the line of scrimmage.
Dante Stills (#55), does a good job of using effort, quickness, and length to win this gap and make a good play on the QB run. #BlueChipSummer pic.twitter.com/dSy1EMzK7a
— Nick Price (@PriceCheck3) June 1, 2021
Dante Stills And The 2022 NFL Draft
Ultimately, I think we could see Dante Stills drafted on the third day of the NFL Draft. However, given that he’s a senior this season, it’s likely that he could be in contention to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. If that happens, a strong week of practice could propel Stills into a mid-to-late third round pick.
In terms of potential fits, look for a team that needs a dominant force on the defensive line. In our Preseason Mock Draft, we had the Jaguars and Buccaneers selecting interior defensive linemen. Of those two, Tampa Bay makes the most sense. Ndamukong Suh is 34 years old, and more importantly, has been working off of one-year contracts. The Bucs front office could draft Stills as a long-term replacement, albeit a bit of a project. Regardless, he has the abilities to contribute early in his career.
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