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West Virginia 2021 NFL Draft Prospectus

With the NFL draft just two days away now, it seems like as good a time as ever to preview the potential draft prospects for West Virginia's newest crop of graduating professionals. The draft overall this year is expected to be a wild card of the highest order. NFL teams are having to absorb the extra risk in this year's class with the players that opted out, and for those forced to produce in a shortened and perhaps irregular schedule.

West Virginia has regularly generated its fair share of draftable prospects.

Currently, there are 21 alumni on active status in the league. WVU has been in the draft almost annually since the mid-80s, and more recently, 2007 was the last draft in which not a single player had his name called. At least two have been taken each year since 2011, excluding 2018 where Kyzir White was the only draftee.

I would expect we'll see that trend continue this year with two players getting picked, while the potential for more than two being selected remains rather low. Let's take a look at the players we might see drafted this weekend.

Darius Stills

It goes without saying, but the elder Stills brother has an excellent chance at getting drafted. He put in four years at West Virginia, starting consistently the last two while playing rotationally as a sophomore. His production from the middle of the line has been good to great, particularly in 2019. There was a slight drop-off this year, although with a full schedule, he could have potentially reproduced his sack and TFL statistics from the previous season.

It is hard to expect a 0/1-technique lineman in an odd-front scheme to generate gaudy sack numbers. Stills didn't move around the line all that much, playing mostly in that nose tackle spot. He had a smaller number of snaps in a 3-tech role. This is one of the factors working against him at the next level.

In terms of athleticism, Darius showed enough along the inside to warrant NFL consideration for those traits alone. His RAS (relative athletic score) of 8.16 at the defensive tackle position places him 13th in this draft class among those qualifying.

Darius Stills RAS

While his size is no doubt a concern for NFL teams, Stills' strong athletic ability and agility scores more than qualify him as a developmental prospect, if nothing else. He certainly demonstrated the ability to produce despite any assumed limitations. He's a plus athlete. Another boon to his stock was his availability during his career and clean injury record.

However, despite his athletic ability and plus production from the inside as a tackle, Darius will have some knocks that hurt his overall draft status. First, he doesn't offer much versatility or flexibility. As I mentioned, Darius didn't move around the line a whole lot at WVU. He was often playing right over center (0-tech) or barely offset as a 1-tech. I think scheme also limited what was required of him, often wanting solid push and rush against the pass but little else.

Second, his size, especially compared to other NFL tackles, is a sticking point for some. At the next level, Darius mostly projects into a 3-tech role along an even-numbered front. Teams will absolutely love the added pass rush potential from the inside, a sought-after commodity in the modern game.

That said, Stills does not offer enough athletic potential to translate to a rush-end role, and it is hard to picture him staying at the center of an odd-front defense with his lack of length and girth. If you rate Stills against defensive ends, for example, his RAS drops drastically to a 4.42 (meaning he does not compare well athletically to other defensive ends). It almost halves his score.

On tape, Darius can show impressive agility, perhaps his biggest strength. His get off is strong and his lower center of gravity is somewhat of an asset against the taller offensive linemen. He offers capable upfield power rush with less refined finesse techniques. That's something Darius will have to work on at the next level, but it is coachable. His play against the run game is hit-or-miss, and the potential there at the next level is more of a projection. It should also be noted that Darius disappeared a couple times last year (e.g. against Texas).

He does have other strengths worth mentioning. Darius keeps the motor running, and there's often little substitute for effort. NFL teams always want guys that love playing the game, almost to the point of fault, and a player that doesn't relent down-after-down can effectively communicate that desire.

Taken as a whole, I think Darius presents an interesting developmental player on the inside of a four-man defensive line. I wouldn't necessarily expect Darius to come in and start right away. He might want to shed some unwanted mass for muscular gains, but I think he can offer something as a rotational piece immediately, most notably as a spot-sub when you want maximum pass rush.

What does it all mean for the draft? Well, for his benefit, this is a rather thin class at defensive tackle -€” in fact, it is thin at nearly every position. That means we might see the odd chance of a team taking him earlier than expected. Some teams will drop opt-outs from their boards. Having played last season gives Darius a leg-up on those players.

Amongst the scouting community, I've seen a wide range of grades for Darius, with some having him fall out of the draft altogether. That's not impossible, but I don't think the draft is deep enough at the position to warrant such a low prognostication. It is an even split amongst those agencies (6 to 6) as to who is rated higher: Stills or Fields.

I'm still not sure Darius is selected prior to Day Three (rounds 4-7). His starter potential is a long-term aspiration. If a team thinks he can provide something immediately, he probably goes early on that day in the 4th round. If not, the later rounds are a more likely landing spot.

Projection: 5th Round - 6th Round

Tony Fields II

Tony Fields only spent one season here at West Virginia, but it was an impactful one, and he turned out to be an important part of the defensive unit. They performed well last season and a lot was due to Fields' influence. Before that, Fields started for three consecutive years at Arizona, including 13 games as a freshman. He's been racking up the tackles since then, averaging well over 80 per season.

For Fields, the question will never be about his collegiate performance. Despite the prolific production, however, Fields' path in the NFL is far from certain. There are a couple main issues to start, number one being Tony's athleticism. At the linebacker position, he offers below-average athletic numbers with an RAS of 4.92.

Tony Fields RAS

He has well above average straight-line speed, and that often shows up on tape, but the rest of the package is less than ideal. Like Darius, Tony has suboptimal size for his position in the NFL. He's sort of stuck into "tweener" status, that is, at least in terms of a prototypical size, Fields falls between a linebacker and a safety. Teams often have trouble finding the appropriate role for tweeners absent scheme-specific instructions that require an X-factor.

NFL squads may feel pushed to force Fields upward into a traditional LB role, most likely a WILL, or they may decide he'd look better as an in-the-box safety, packaged to disrupt run concepts or deal with mismatches. While it isn't something Fields can control, this sort of unobvious translation to an NFL role will result in the degradation of his draft stock. At least to some degree. It will require the right team finding the right fit for him at the next level, which also likely means he isn't a plug-and-play type prospect.

In spite of these concerns, Fields does offer a lot of upside as a development player. His size can be a weakness, or in the right situation, one of his strengths. Fields can serve as a team's utility knife on defense, and he often did that for west Virginia. Tony lined up all over the field, from the traditional defense-leading MIKE to a stand-up rusher outside the edge. He would also locate as a WILL or SAM in the stack, dropping into zone coverage or manning the slot like a safety. You might even catch a glimpse of some Tampa-2 concepts, with Fields as the middle linebacker dropping into center field.

Fields can do this all because of his size and speed combination. He never looked completely comfortable in man coverage, so that aspect may need further development. However, because he offers such versatility, a team that requires multiple-look and disguised defenses, such as the Miami Dolphins, may see Fields as a key to unlock their full potential. He can shade the A-gaps, spy the QB, or fake the blitz and drop into zone.

His tools as a pass rusher are relatively raw. He also doesn't have the ideal length to play consistently as an outside backer in a 3-4 defense. His size might impact his ability to remain in the middle at the next level, though some teams may rotate him into the MIKE in sub packages.

I think Tony also gets into trouble at times due to the absence of elite agility. He can miss tackles because he lacks that little bit extra in the close range. He will get swallowed up by blocks and has trouble shaking blockers, although his straight-line speed does help him evade from time-to-time. I question whether that's something he can rely on at the next level.

Fields has an astute vision, something one must often have to man the middle and call the plays on defense. He does well to diagnose plays most of the time and takes good angles on tackles. When dropping into zone coverage, he does a decent job at reading the quarterback's eyes and shading under routes, or alternatively getting out into the open field and chasing the QB down.

All-in-all, Fields is a lot like Stills, owning mixed attributes that make determining his actual draft position tough to lock down. Fields offers more flexibility and adaptability, but his size may scare some teams away from taking him, either in the early rounds or entirely. Teams employing traditional backer roles may shy away from Tony, whereas teams with more complex and modern defensive schemes (4-2-5) may see Fields as just what they need to compete in space.

Again, like Stills, scouts have highly divergent opinions on Fields. Across eleven different agencies, he has an average draft position of 180. The draft being even thinner at LB, especially OLB, than it is at DT, I think odds slightly favor Fields as the first Mountaineer selected. It is possible he goes late Day Two (end of third round), but something on Day Three is more likely.

Projection: 4th Round - 5th Round

Unfortunately, that covers the extent of draftable talent coming from WVU this cycle. I'll run down the rest of the guys that participated at West Virginia's Pro Day, those that stand an outside chance of being drafted this week.

Chase Behrndt (C) - Chase was a productive player for West Virginia, starting a ton at center and a lesser number of games at guard. He hasn't received much noise in scouting circles, and there's a very outside chance a team drafts him given the shortcomings at center in this draft. His lack of injury history and steadiness in the middle lend to his advantage, but subpar athletic testing scores (RAS of 2.30 at center that only modestly improves at guard) will punish him in an NFL that wants mobile, zone-blocking lineman. His frame is NFL ready. His feet are not. Probably lands somewhere as a priority free agent (PFA) after the draft.

Michael Brown (G) - Michael is the next offensive lineman coming out for a chance at the NFL. He's got the big body set and works in power moves, but he offers little versatility having only played left guard, and some of his weight might be considered the wrong kind. He's still relatively raw at the sport, playing five years total since community college, so any team taking Brown understands the need for extensive development. It will be interesting to see if a team brings Brown in for a tryout or as an undrafted free agent. It isn't out of the question.

T.J. Simmons (WR) - T.J. got his college start at Alabama as a four-star recruit before transferring to WVU. Things looked promising as a sophomore, and he took another slight step as a junior in 2019. Unfortunately, things never totally took off for Simmons. At least not in this offense, although some difficulties could be attributed to shaky QB play. Even with so-so wide receiver depth, Simmons didn't do much to stand out. He is a marginal athlete (5.33 RAS) and never developed quite enough to his game, even if as just a deep threat. He's got a thin frame, as well, which might scare off some teams. There isn't enough in a total body of work for teams to attach to with T.J. It is also a full WR class, an exception to the rule. Perhaps a tryout or UDFA contract.

Kyle Poland (LS) - Following in the lineage of WVU long snappers, Poland emerges out of the shadow of Rex Sunahara, who is now working for the Miami Dolphins. Like Rex, Kyle got an invite to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. What's perhaps most important is Kyle didn't make a mistake in his one year of service. I'm hardly an expert at scouting long snappers, otherwise. Obviously, this position isn't heavily drafted, typically just one per year. This year's honors may go to Thomas Fletcher or Camaron Cheeseman, hopefully the latter to the Packers, but Poland can always get something after the draft for teams needing long snapper depth. He lacks length and size, but he performed well athletically relative to other long snappers (RAS of 8.15).

And how about a bonus for the Mountain State?

Michael Strachan (WR) - Michael is an under-the-radar recruit, but he performed admirably at West Virginia's pro day. Originally hailing from the Bahamas, he played his college ball in nearby Charleston. His relative athletic score of 9.22 is bolstered by his NFL-ready frame. With elite size and enough speed, he stands a good chance at getting his name called during the draft. Small school prospects are always wild cards. However, Strachan put up big numbers last season, which included 1,319 yards and 19 touchdowns. Certainly, he'll undergo further development in the NFL. Guys with his traits are usually worth the investment. Look for this pick on Day Three in the latter rounds. His teammate, Kenny Randall, has gotten some looks, as well, but appears to be a much longer shot to get drafted.

2020 Draft Review

Let's take a quick look at the draft review from last year:

Name

Projection

Actual

Kenny Robinson Jr.

Rounds 3 - 5

5th Round, 152

Colton McKivitz

Rounds 6 - PFA

5th Round, 153

George Campbell

Rounds 7 - PFA

Signed with Jets

Keith Washington II

Priority Free Agent

Signed with Saints

Rex Sunahara

Undrafted Free Agent

Signed with Dolphins

Last year ended up finishing pretty light in terms of WVU talent headed to the NFL, and this year doesn't look to change much. As we can see, Robinson and McKivitz went back-to-back in the 5th round, because why not? Both players remain with the teams that drafted them.

Evidently, Colton's limited athleticism did not scare away the 49ers, even when their scheme might dictate otherwise. Fresh off the disappointment that was Tyler Orlosky falling out of the draft, I thought the same situation might befall McKivitz for poor testing and tape to match. However, that concern ended up being for naught, and he was drafted slightly ahead of my projections. Unsurprisingly, however, McKivitz was moved inside to guard and started there against the Rams in Week 12. Tough to get your first NFL gig against Aaron Donald.

Kenny Robinson, coming out of the XFL, has yet to start for the Panthers. He played in nine games last season and made one tackle. It remains to be seen if or when he'll work his way into a starting role.

George Campbell was signed by the Jets right after the draft but was eventually waived in the final round of cuts before the season started. He has since signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. We'll see if he can make any impact there and maybe work his way back to the states.

I pounded the table a little for Keith Washington and he caught on with the Saints right after the draft. He ended up making the roster as a PFA and although he's down on the depth chart, perhaps he'll carve out some time for the team, at least on the third unit. The Saints' defense is decent, so it's probably a good spot for him to learn.

Rex eventually landed a deal with the Dolphins. He was waived at one point and re-signed under a futures contract. Miami drafted Blake Ferguson in the 6th round last year, making Rex's job slightly redundant. He's probably more a matter of insurance for them. With his position blocked, it will be tough for Rex to get time with the big club during the season.

Hakeem Bailey also signed after the draft last year. The Chiefs nabbed him but ended up waiving him during the preseason in order to sign Adrian Colbert. He has yet to sign anywhere else, as far as I know.