Seventh-Round Pick Dante Stills Knew Cardinals Would Come Calling

It was an extremely long wait for West Virginia DT Dante Stills, who was the last pick of the draft for the Arizona Cardinals.

TEMPE -- There's still some time left on the clock for the Arizona Cardinals to make a move in the dying embers of the 2023 NFL Draft, but if things stand as they are, West Virginia DT Dante Stills will be the team's final pick of the weekend. 

It's been a long wait for Stills, who admitted that things weren't always bright to reporters after his selection at pick 213 in the sixth round. 

"I was getting a little discouraged, I had my family here, my friends here keeping my spirits up, keeping my head up. Now I'm a Cardinal. So I'm excited," said Stills.

Stills played defensive line at West Virginia at multiple spots, though his position at the next level is still unknown. 

Playing the waiting game is something teams love to do on the third and final day just for the sake of value, and even knowing the Cardinals liked him, Stills wasn't sure of his status as the clock began ticking yesterday.

"I definitely had an idea that they liked me since the beginning," said Stills. "Like they say, the draft. is kind of up in the air after day one. I never know what to expect and what not to expect. I tried to make sure I tried to stay positive and stuff like that throughout the day."

Stills said he kept in constant contact with the Cardinals, whether that be at events such as the Shrine Bowl, Senior Bowl, NFL Combine or Zoom meetings through the process. 

When it comes to his position, it's tough to project where he'll play as a 6'3.5" and 286 pound lineman.

"In my college career I played a lot everywhere, I feel like I fit best at three technique and the five [technique], either/or but I'll probably play more of the three technique inside," Stills said. 

Pro Football Focus divided his snaps up as followed last season:

262 snaps over the tackle

223 snaps in the B gap

111 snaps outside of the tackle

3 snaps in the A gap

His run defense grade of 90.3 stands out. He tallied 13 sacks in his final two years at WVU. 

Stills had family members play at the next level - his father Gary played in the league for 10 seasons while uncle Ken and cousin Kenny also played in the league. 

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