MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The only former WVU standout to be selected in this weekend’s NFL draft was linebacker Tony Fields, going in the 5th round to the Cleveland Browns.
Fields, who spent one season with the Mountaineers after transferring from Arizona, had 88 tackles, a sack and an interception in nine games. He switched from weakside linebacker at Arizona to middle at WVU, one of the biggest reasons he chose the Mountaineers — to showcase his versatility.
“I fly to the ball. I’m one of those guys who is an ambassador when it comes to working on the football field,” Fields said Saturday after he was drafted. “I feel like I can play any position on the defense. If I could gain 70 more pounds, I’d like d-line. I could lose 30 pounds and play corner. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.
As the No. 153 overall pick, Fields, at 6-foot and 222 pounds, was the second linebacker chosen by Cleveland — the Browns picked Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah midway through the 2nd round Friday night.
“First off, he’s explosive,” Browns national scout Charles Walls said. “He’s rangy, he can get sideline to sideline. He gives us tremendous versatility and flexibility in our linebacking corps. As far as how he compares to Jeremiah, they both can run. We want to have guys that can cover the field and take the stress off of the first level and the third level.”
The Browns finished 11-5 in 2020 and made the playoffs as a wildcard, eventually losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Division Round of the NFL playoffs.
Stills signs with Las Vegas
In a surprising outcome, defensive lineman Darius Stills was not one of the 255 selected in the draft, but before the final pick was even made, he announced on social media he was signing as an undrafted free agent with the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Been slept on before and look how that turned out,” Stills tweeted. “Time to tun it back. They gonna feel me.”
Stills was a consensus All-American last season as a nose tackle on the Mountaineers defense, which finished top 5 nationally in total defense. He had 25 tackles, 7 1/2 tackles for loss, 3 1/2 sacks and an interception in 2020.
Projected by many outlets to be drafted between the 4th-6th rounds, Stills, who celebrated his 23rd birthday Saturday, will now have a chance to compete in Las Vegas, a team he spoke with during the offseason.
The rest of the ‘Eers
Offensive lineman Michael Brown signed as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints.
Wide receiver T.J. Simmons signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
