Davis Mills tweeted Thursday afternoon that he will enter his name in the NFL Draft — joining Simi Fehoko, Drew Dalman, Foster Sarell, and Malik Antoine in what appears to have been a coordinated series of announcements this week by Cardinal who have decided to begin their professional careers.
Mills will graduate with his degree in Science, Technology and Society in March.
His career at Stanford was a bit of a roller coaster story of what-ifs because of injuries early in his career and a pandemic-shortened season, but he was resilient in the face of challenges and proved he is one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
He was injured throughout most of his first two years on campus, and the first what-if on the minds of Stanford fans is: what would have been the result of a quarterback competition between a healthy Mills and KJ Costello to take over for Keller Chryst during the 2017 season? We'll never know and Mills didn't get his first start until his third year on campus when he stepped in for an injured Costello.
Really from that first start at USC it was clear he had special talent.
In 13 games (11 starts) over the last two seasons, Mills completed 287-of-436 (65.8%) of passes for 3,468 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was named honorable mention All-Pac-12 in 2019 after finishing with 1,508 passing yards and 10 total touchdowns. His 301.6 yards per game were the second most in the Pac-12.
Mills had many memorable performances in the last two seasons, including a dramatic, come-from-behind, two-overtime win at UCLA in his finale. After falling behind 34-20 with 5:39 to play, Mills went 15-of-22 for 169 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cardinal to the win.
He was on pace to throw for more than 3,000 yards if this had been a full 12-game season. His worst game by far in terms of completion percentage was against Colorado and that was the week he only got to practice once because of the false COVID-19 test fiasco that also prevented him from playing at Oregon.
Statement from Mills:
“My time at Stanford has been incredible from the moment I stepped on to campus for the first time. In the past four years, I have learned valuable information in the classroom, but more importantly, I’ve grown into the man I am today.
It is hard to put into words the appreciation I have for my family. Through the peaks and valleys, they continue to encourage and push me everyday to be the best I can be. I was raised with a competitive, no-excuse mindset that I’ve carried with me on and off the field.
To everyone who has impacted my time at Stanford - Coach Shaw, Coach Pritchard, the rest of the coaching staff, strength staff, trainers, and everyone involved within the program - thank you for your belief and investment in me, and for helping to prepare me for the ultimate goal.
Most importantly, I want to thank my teammates who I’ve made lifelong friendships with. There is not a better locker room in the country. I wouldn’t trade these four years for anything.
I am proud to announce that I will be graduating with my degree in March and entering my name in the 2021 NFL Draft. Go Card!”
