NFL Draft: 11 risers from the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl
By Rob Paul
Dante Stills, DL, West Virginia (6-4, 289)
The best player during the first day of Shrine Bowl practice was Dante Stills. The interior defensive lineman out of West Virginia was just a complete mismatch with his fluidity as a pass rusher and short-area quickness. That continued through the week and into the game where he blew up multiple run plays.
Despite being slightly undersized, Stills made up for it with his quick twitch athleticism and pass rush repertoire. Lining up predominantly at 3-Tech, he’d take advantage of linemen oversetting to deal with his quickness by countering inside with a club swim… and when they wouldn’t overset he’d beat them outside with a dip-n-rip.
His intensity and athleticism translated over to the run game too where he frequently shot gaps and relied on his patented club swim to beat linemen and get into the backfield. One of his most impressive reps actually came in a one-on-one run drill where he took on Grand Valley’s Quinton Barrow and just threw him to the ground.
Again, it’s a weaker interior defensive line class and this type of dominant week-long performance from Stills should help him fight toward being a top-15 player at his position in the 2023 NFL Draft.