Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Football Held its Annual Pro Day Thursday
March 18, 2021 06:02 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia held its annual Pro Day for NFL scouts and personnel in the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility earlier today.
For guys such as Darius Stills and Tony Fields II, it's an opportunity to give NFL teams another reason to say yes instead of no.
That's what West Virginia coach Neal Brown always preaches to his players.
"Scouts are looking for reasons to say no, and you cannot supply them any reasons to say no," he said this afternoon. "Talent is a piece of it. Production is a piece, character, and then what is your trajectory? How does your game translate to the National Football League where everybody is elite."
For Stills and Fields, their college production certainly translates. Both were invited to participate in the NFL Combine, although this year's event has been modified because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Their psychological and medical testing, interviews and workouts were conducted today in Morgantown instead of in Indianapolis.
They were among 323 prospects who received invitations this year, and Brown said both performed well this afternoon.
"Today was a big day for Darius and Tony, and I think both rose to the occasion," he said.
Stills ran a 4.92 forty, did 23 reps on the bench press and boasted a 32 ½-inch vertical jump. Fields' numbers included a 4.5 forty, 17 reps on the bench and a 34-inch vertical. In Stills' case, the question has always been his size, or lack thereof. It's something that has followed him since his high school days at Fairmont Senior.
Yet, you look around in today's NFL and sheer size isn't quite as important as it used to be. Take six-time All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, for instance. He's generally considered to be the most dominant player in the league today, and he stands just 6-feet-1 and weighs 284 pounds.
Have you checked Darius Stills' measurements lately? He stands a shade over 6-feet and weighed in at 278 pounds this morning.
Atlanta's Grady Jarrett? He is 6-feet-1, 291. Seattle's Poona Ford? He goes 5-feet-11, 310.
Those are the players Darius has been studying.
"They are really all the same size, so why not watch someone that successful?" Stills explained.
Good point.
"My only downfall is my size, but I can do everything everybody else can do," Stills added. "I view this as a way to show more things that I can bring to the table."
Stills earned consensus All-America honors as the best player on the nation's No. 4-ranked defense. He had 7½ tackles for losses and 3½ sacks despite being double- and triple-teamed in every game he played.
His last two years, he accumulated 22 tackles for loss and 11½ sacks. The Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year played in 43 career games over four seasons, including this year's Liberty Bowl.
It was at a risk, for sure, particularly because of Army's playing style, but Stills' decision to play resonated with the pro scouts. It demonstrated Darius' strong allegiance to his team and teammates. Just like running the 40 or the number of times a player reps 225 pounds on a bench press, everything is taken into consideration.
"It took a lot to play that game knowing that I could get hurt, or one wrong snap could mess up my whole career, but I just wanted to go out there and ball one more time with my teammates," Stills admitted.
Darius has a lot going for him, beginning with a great family support system. His father, Gary, was a nine-year NFL veteran who has given him some great advice about managing his money and what to expect when he gets into the league.
But it is his mother, Janeen Floyd, who has provided the unyielding emotional support that has helped him every step of the way. Her constant encouragement has been unwavering.
"She wants to make sure her baby boy is doing well," he laughed.
Following West Virginia's Liberty Bowl victory, Stills went to Florida to work out and prepare for the draft. He's dropped 12 pounds since the end of the season, and he said some teams have asked him to put some of it back on.
By his count, he's had discussions with at least 12 different teams including multiple talks with the Cincinnati Bengals, who like his toughness, motor and intensity. Stills said his management team has spent a lot of time working on his mental approach to the game.
"We take a lot of psychological tests, so this has helped me a lot getting a better idea how serious the NFL is and how accountable they hold you because they are investing a lot of money in you, and they don't want someone that's on the street making bad decisions," Stills said.
"You don't just get ready for the NFL in three months, and Darius is a prime example of that," Brown noted. "His ability to play in the NFL is multiple years in the making. It's not just one interview with an NFL team or a Pro Day or, in normal times, a combine. They need to start thinking of it earlier than that."
Center Chase Behrndt, offensive guard Michael Brown, long snapper Kyle Poland and wide receiver T.J. Simmons also took part in Thursday's Pro Day.
The three-day NFL Draft will take place April 29-May 1 this year in Cleveland, Ohio.
For guys such as Darius Stills and Tony Fields II, it's an opportunity to give NFL teams another reason to say yes instead of no.
That's what West Virginia coach Neal Brown always preaches to his players.
"Scouts are looking for reasons to say no, and you cannot supply them any reasons to say no," he said this afternoon. "Talent is a piece of it. Production is a piece, character, and then what is your trajectory? How does your game translate to the National Football League where everybody is elite."
For Stills and Fields, their college production certainly translates. Both were invited to participate in the NFL Combine, although this year's event has been modified because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Their psychological and medical testing, interviews and workouts were conducted today in Morgantown instead of in Indianapolis. They were among 323 prospects who received invitations this year, and Brown said both performed well this afternoon.
"Today was a big day for Darius and Tony, and I think both rose to the occasion," he said.
Stills ran a 4.92 forty, did 23 reps on the bench press and boasted a 32 ½-inch vertical jump. Fields' numbers included a 4.5 forty, 17 reps on the bench and a 34-inch vertical. In Stills' case, the question has always been his size, or lack thereof. It's something that has followed him since his high school days at Fairmont Senior.
Yet, you look around in today's NFL and sheer size isn't quite as important as it used to be. Take six-time All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, for instance. He's generally considered to be the most dominant player in the league today, and he stands just 6-feet-1 and weighs 284 pounds.
Have you checked Darius Stills' measurements lately? He stands a shade over 6-feet and weighed in at 278 pounds this morning.
Atlanta's Grady Jarrett? He is 6-feet-1, 291. Seattle's Poona Ford? He goes 5-feet-11, 310.
Those are the players Darius has been studying.
"They are really all the same size, so why not watch someone that successful?" Stills explained.
Good point.
"My only downfall is my size, but I can do everything everybody else can do," Stills added. "I view this as a way to show more things that I can bring to the table."
Stills earned consensus All-America honors as the best player on the nation's No. 4-ranked defense. He had 7½ tackles for losses and 3½ sacks despite being double- and triple-teamed in every game he played.
His last two years, he accumulated 22 tackles for loss and 11½ sacks. The Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year played in 43 career games over four seasons, including this year's Liberty Bowl.
It was at a risk, for sure, particularly because of Army's playing style, but Stills' decision to play resonated with the pro scouts. It demonstrated Darius' strong allegiance to his team and teammates. Just like running the 40 or the number of times a player reps 225 pounds on a bench press, everything is taken into consideration.
"It took a lot to play that game knowing that I could get hurt, or one wrong snap could mess up my whole career, but I just wanted to go out there and ball one more time with my teammates," Stills admitted.
Darius has a lot going for him, beginning with a great family support system. His father, Gary, was a nine-year NFL veteran who has given him some great advice about managing his money and what to expect when he gets into the league.
But it is his mother, Janeen Floyd, who has provided the unyielding emotional support that has helped him every step of the way. Her constant encouragement has been unwavering.
"She wants to make sure her baby boy is doing well," he laughed.
Following West Virginia's Liberty Bowl victory, Stills went to Florida to work out and prepare for the draft. He's dropped 12 pounds since the end of the season, and he said some teams have asked him to put some of it back on.
By his count, he's had discussions with at least 12 different teams including multiple talks with the Cincinnati Bengals, who like his toughness, motor and intensity. Stills said his management team has spent a lot of time working on his mental approach to the game.
"We take a lot of psychological tests, so this has helped me a lot getting a better idea how serious the NFL is and how accountable they hold you because they are investing a lot of money in you, and they don't want someone that's on the street making bad decisions," Stills said.
"You don't just get ready for the NFL in three months, and Darius is a prime example of that," Brown noted. "His ability to play in the NFL is multiple years in the making. It's not just one interview with an NFL team or a Pro Day or, in normal times, a combine. They need to start thinking of it earlier than that."
Center Chase Behrndt, offensive guard Michael Brown, long snapper Kyle Poland and wide receiver T.J. Simmons also took part in Thursday's Pro Day.
The three-day NFL Draft will take place April 29-May 1 this year in Cleveland, Ohio.
Perfect effort. #HailWV pic.twitter.com/5B81EcL695
— WVU Football (@WVUfootball) March 18, 2021
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