Darius Stills heard about the kind words he received from fellow defensive linemen Clelin Ferrell and Solomon Thomas during the Las Vegas Raiders’ mandatory June minicamp.
While the praise from his teammates was nice to hear, he knows he remains far from accomplishing his goal of making the 53-man roster for the 2021 season.
”It’s always good to get the praise, but I feel like I haven’t proven anything yet,” Stills said. “I’m still the same ball player. I’m a good ball player and what I’m going to do is prove it at the end of the day.”
He knows he’s considered a long shot. The Raiders signed Stills as an undrafted free agent after the 2021 NFL draft.
A consensus first-team All-American at West Virginia, Stills expected to hear his name called during the draft but he remained passed over after 259 other players were chosen.
On the plus side, a pre-draft analysis at NFL.com notes that Stills “plays with a motor and energy that jumps off the tape. First-step quickness with ability to get skinny in the gap.”
But there were questions about his size, barely over 6 feet tall though checking in at 278 pounds. In a league where fractions of a second divide a Pro Bowl wide receiver from a backup and an inch or two also can make or break a defensive player in the eyes of scouts, Ferrell is 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, and Thomas is 6-2 and 280.
“Undersized as interior defender,” that same NFL.com assessment lists under weaknesses. “Works with stubby arms and small hands.”
At least Stills knew the Raiders were interested. They phoned during the draft, letting him know they liked what they saw and that they would sign him if he were still available after seven rounds.
But the draft-day slight gnaws at Stills.
“There is no way I shouldn’t have gotten drafted,” he said. “I knew my height would be undersized, but I didn’t think it was much of a problem. That is the only thing I can think of why I didn’t get drafted or get that call (in the draft) but since joining the Raiders. I’m excited to see how my journey comes along.”
Stills may have picked up one key ally. His preseason journey included getting some pointers from defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who told Stills he likes his “inside moves.”
Marinelli has grown on him, Stills said, and he’s looking forward to learning more from the former Detroit Lions head coach and longtime NFL assistant.
“He’s a very hard-working coach, which is an old-school guy, and that is great because the way his drills are, it’s drills that we see in games,” Stills said. “His style of coaching is getting you ready for the games and that is the type I’ve always been around and I like that. I like his style of coaching and he’s a very intense coach also.”
JON GRUDEN SEES A FAMILIARITY
Family ties don’t hurt, either. Raiders coach Jon Gruden told Stills he reminded him of his father, Gary Stills, a linebacker/defensive end in the NFL from 1999 to 2008.
Stills made the Pro Bowl in 2003 with the Kansas City Chiefs.
“He likes my motor and he likes how intense I play,” Darius Stills said of the feedback offered by Gruden. “He likes my style of play, which is an attack-type of guy. I like to get up field and make plays and disrupt.”
Stills said he’s been training in West Virginia in advance of training camp, which starts July 27 in Henderson, Nev. Teams can open camp with 90 players. They must then cut down to 85 by Aug. 17, 80 by Aug. 24 and 53 players by Aug. 31.
Can he prove that he was just as deserving as other top defensive tackle prospects, such as New England Patriots’ second-rounder Christian Barmore, of being drafted? He said he’ll use that as motivation.
“None of those D-tackles did what I did during the season and whole career (at West Virginia),” Stills said. “I respect Barmore and all those other guys, but really at the end of the day it’s how the player impacted the game, I think. I feel like I impacted the game more than they did but, at the end of the day, the draft doesn’t matter. You have to put on your cleats the same way. I put my cleats on and play football and that is what I’m going to do.
“I have to prove to the other 31 teams they messed up on me. That is what I’m going to do and I always have a chip on my shoulder for my whole life because I had to. You have to have an edge and my edge is my chip. That chip got even bigger. I’m excited to see how I impact the game at this level and I’m excited to get rolling.”
