Soon-to-be new Denver Broncos defender Dondrea Tillman has had an amazing football journey.
He was born and raised in Sterling, Virginia, earning first-team All-Virginia recognition at Potomac Falls in high school. He went to play college football at the Division II level with the IUP Crimson Hawks. Tillman earned consecutive All-PSAC West honors after totaling 21 sacks in his final two seasons.
Despite his impressive production, Tillman had no opportunities to continue playing football after he graduated in 2019. Following a year away from the game, Tillman joined the Conquerors in The Spring League in 2021.
Tillman caught the attention of the Birmingham Stallions, who used a third-round pick to select him in the 2022 USFL draft. He went on to total 55 tackles, four sacks and 13 quarterback hits in his first season with the Stallions, according to stats from Pro Football Focus.
We can’t embed highlights from Tillman’s time at IUP (you can watch them), but here are his highlights from high school:
And here are highlights from a game during the 2023 USFL season:
More from 2023:
A forced fumble from earlier this year:
A sack from earlier this year:
Another sack:
And some of his top plays from the 2024 season:
Tillman followed up his impressive first season with 52 tackles, six sacks and 13 QB hits in 2023, according to PFF. This year, he recorded 54 tackles, five sacks and eight QB hits. His three-year totals with the Stallons are 161 tackles, 34 QB hits and 15 sacks.
It’s still uncertain if Tillman will end up playing as a defensive end or as an outside linebacker in Denver’s base 3-4 defense, but he’ll be a quality depth addition at either spot. The Broncos are expected to make his signing official soon.
Update: Here are more highlights from a new YouTube video:
