Las Vegas Raiders: Fans should be excited about Darius Stills
By Brad Weiss
While he may not have been a 2021 NFL Draft pick, Darius Stills is going to be an exciting player for the Las Vegas Raiders.
During the 2021 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders made it a point to bolster the defensive side of the ball. After drafting Alex Leatherwood, a right tackle from Alabama with their first round pick, the next five picks were on the defense, before finishing out with a center in the seventh round.
Las Vegas was not done adding to the defense after the seventh round finished out, and one of the undrafted free agents they got could be a special one. In fact, I am not sure how Darius Stills was not drafted across the three-day event, but he is a member of the Silver and Black now, and will have a legitimate shot to make this roster.
Raiders got a steal with Stills as a UDFA
When all is said and done, Stills may end up being a steal for the Raiders, as he has the size, strength, and ability to earn a roster spot this summer. He absolutely dominated for the West Virginia Mountaineers last season, earning Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year honors, being named an All-American, as well as first-team All-Big 12.
Stills had a monster junior campaign in 2019, racking up 12 tackles for a loss, as well as getting after the quarterback 6.5 times. He also comes from an NFL family, as his father, Gary, played ten seasons in the league, appearing in over 130 games for the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
Las Vegas has made a lot of moves in terms of the defensive line this offseason, bringing in a bunch of players at defensive tackle, as well as adding talent on the edges. Gus Bradley is going to find the best players to run his system, and his system requires defensive tackles that can get push, and Stills has that skill set.
All told, the Raiders significantly improved the defensive side of the ball, a unit that was a real liability this past season. Does Bradley have all the weapons he needs now? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure, he is playing with a much fuller deck than he would have been if this was last year at this time.