San Francisco 49ers select Brayden Willis in 7th round of 2023 NFL Draft

Following a career year at Oklahoma in 2022, tight end Brayden Willis will hope to carry that momentum over into the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers believe he can make an impact, selecting him in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Willis posted career highs across the board this past season to finish second among all Sooners with 39 catches for 514 yards and seven touchdowns. He also had 10 carries for 26 yards and earned second team All-Big 12 honors. His best game of the season came against Kansas, where he recorded five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in a 52-42 victory over the Jayhawks.

Willis played five seasons with the Sooners and spent the past two years as a starter. However, the 2022 season marked the first in which he recorded more than 200 yards receiving. His 514 yards were more than his total across the previous four seasons combined. He ended his college career with 75 catches for 998 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Willis played high school football for James Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, where he was a three-star prospect. He ranked as the No. 1,339 overall player and No. 70 tight end in the 2018 class according to the On3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Brayden Willis

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided some analysis on what Willis brings to the table in his recent scout of the tight end’s draft profile. Despite the impressive season from Willis in 2022, the analyst still has some questions about his ability to contribute at the next level.

Zierlein noted that Willis lacks powers on some of his blocks and also noted most of his catches came in open space. He wondered whether he would be able to separate himself against more talented defenders in the NFL.

“Willis’ size and athletic profile leaves him lacking as both an in-line blocker and as a pass-catching option,” Zierlein wrote. “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.”