"One of the best blocking TEs in the 2023 NFL Draft, the 49ers previously had a Combine Formal with Willis as well," wrote Melo.
Willis registered 39 receptions for 514 yards and a team-high seven receiving touchdowns through 13 game appearances as a senior in 2022, per Sports Reference. He caught 75 passes for 998 yards with 13 touchdowns through his five collegiate seasons. The tight end missed six games in 2020 due to an injury,
"Willis' size and athletic profile leaves him lacking as both an in-line blocker and as a pass-catching option," wrote Lance Zierlein of NFL.com in the player's draft profile. "He lacks in-line power and plays with low-burn intensity getting into blocks at times, but body control and hand strength help increase his sustain effectiveness when blocking on the move. He's tough working into traffic, but a high percentage of his catches came with nobody around him in space. He will need to prove he can separate against man coverage outside of the Oklahoma scheme."
Willis is from Arlington, TX. He earned a pre-draft grade of 5.69 from NFL.com, which equates to a "chance to make a roster or practice squad," per the site's 8-point grading scale.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, the 6' 3 1/2" and 241-pound Willis had a vertical jump of 32 inches, a broad jump of 117 inches, a 7.3-second three-cone drill time, 20 reps in the bench press, and a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.36 seconds. His other measurables include an arm length of 33 1/4 inches and hands measuring 9 3/4 inches.
Willis had a vertical jump of 33.50 inches, a broad jump of 118 inches, a 7.46-second three-cone drill time, and a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.50 seconds at his personal Pro Day, per NFLDraftBuzz.
| College Statistics | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Class | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||||||
| 2018 | Oklahoma | FR | 2 | 1 | 29 | 29 | -- | ||||||||
| 2019 | Oklahoma | SO | 12 | 11 | 168 | 15.3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2020 | Oklahoma | JR | 4 | 9 | 110 | 12.2 | 1 | ||||||||
| 2021 | Oklahoma | SR | 7 | 15 | 177 | 11.8 | 2 | ||||||||
| 2022 | Oklahoma | SR | 13 | 39 | 514 | 13.2 | 7 | ||||||||
| Total | Oklahoma | 75 | 998 | 13.3 | 13 | ||||||||||
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