Arizona Cardinals select Dante Stills in sixth round of 2023 NFL Draft
The Arizona Cardinals are banking on former West Virginia star Dante Stills to come in and be a dominant force for them at the defensive tackle position. The past few years, he firmly established himself as one of the best pass rushers in school history. That’s why the Cardinals selected him with the No. 213 pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Stills played in a school-record 58 games during his prolific career for the Mountaineers, making 36 career starts. Once he wrapped up his career in Morgantown, Stills ranked first in program history in tackles for loss (52.5 tackles for loss) and fourth in WVU history in sacks (23.5). Following his senior season, he earned first team All-Big 12 honors from the AP, the league’s coaches, and Phil Steele. He wrapped up his final year in Morgantown with 26 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and nine tackles for loss.
Following his 2021 season, he also brought home first team All-Big 12 honors from multiple media outlets. It was, at least statistically, his most productive season as a Mountaineer. Stills racked up 36 tackles, seven sacks, 15 tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries, one forced fumble, and one interception. His 15 tackles for loss during the 2021 campaign tied him for the 10th best mark in single-season history. During the 13 games he played that season, Stills started 12 of those at the defensive tackle position.
During the 2020 campaign, Stills suited up all 10 games at the defensive end position. From that position, he racked up 35 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, one fumble recovery, and a blocked kick. He once again reeled in first team All-Big 12 honors from multiple media outlets and even earned honorable mention All-American honors from Pro Football Focus.
During the 2019 season as a sophomore, Stills once again flashed the tremendous talent that we saw so many times throughout his impressive Mountaineer career. He finished his sophomore season with 11.5 tackles for loss (second on the team) and seven sacks (tying for the team lead). Stills played at the defensive end position in 12 games, starting three of them. He earned second team All-Big 12 honors after he finished the year with 24 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup.
He burst onto the scene as a true freshman, earning freshman All-American honors from multiple media outlets. Stills saw action in 12 games, racking up 16 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Stills comes from a family of former WVU football stars. His brother, Darius, was a consensus All-American and All-Big 12 defensive lineman for the Mountaineers. His father, Gary Stills, was an All-Big East selection for WVU Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen, before enjoying a successful career in the National Football League.
Dante Stills played his high school football at Fairmont High School (Fairmont, West Virginia), where he was one of the more highly regarded prospects in the 2018 cycle. According to the On3 Industry Rankings, he was rated as the No. 120 overall prospect in the country and a four-star recruit.
What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Dante Stills
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein recently gave a brief breakdown of Stills’ skill set in his recent profile he wrote up on him for the NFL website. Zierlein definitely feels like finding the proper schematic fit for him will be important at the next level.
“Stills lacks the girth of a 4-3 three-technique, the get-off of a 4-3 end and the two-gapping take-on of a traditional odd-front end. However, he has physical/play attributes that have allowed him to play in all three spots. Finding a fit for him will be paramount, but his quickness and agility will be valued in schemes employing gaming, active fronts,” Zierlein wrote.
He envisions the former WVU star finding rotational reps on the defensive line at the next level, with his skills being best suited as a pass rusher on the interior.
“He can be a handful as a twisting interior rusher, but he needs to develop go-to rush moves to help create additional value in that area. Stills could find rotational reps as an odd- or even-front end with the ability to rush from the interior,” Zierlein noted.