Carver
Willis.
Carver
Willis.
Washington· 6'5"· 303 lb· 5.11s 40
R4 · #127 · San Francisco 49ers"Six-year college blocker with rare position flex — five spots at the Senior Bowl, quick landmark hitter, short-arm frame that caps upside but fits a zone room."Pre-draft read
This left tackle aligns in a wide-zone scheme, winning with quick landmarks and fluid hips. He gets off the ball efficiently, clears track lanes effectively, and climbs to the second level maintaining balance. In pass protection, he demonstrates compact hand placement inside the frame, mirroring twitchy edge rushers on short sets, and recovers with functional lateral quickness when he over-sets.
His anchor is average, with a narrow base susceptible to pure power, particularly against larger interior rushers. Pad level tends to drift high on down blocks. His finishing technique is more about technical sustain than violent impact, as he maintains blocks through the whistle. He possesses sneaky value as an emergency five-position player, having impressed at center during postseason evaluations.
Shanahan's wide-zone system demands offensive linemen who can execute reach blocks and climb to the second level effectively.
Immediate backup swing tackle due to his scheme familiarity, with a long-term ceiling as a starting zone-scheme guard or a versatile interior lineman.
A run-heavy gap scheme that relies on physically dominant tackles with long arms and a powerful anchor for drive blocking will not maximize his value.
Willis is a high-floor, high-versatility zone-scheme lineman whose experience and athleticism make him an intriguing late-round prospect for the 49ers.
Watch 49ers fourth-round draft pick Carver Willis' college highlights | NBC Sports Bay Area
Game film cut-up of Carver Willis's Washington tape.
Carver Willis All-22 Highlights | San Francisco 49ers
Game film cut-up of Carver Willis's Washington tape.
Film Breakdown: Carver Willis is a WEAPON in the Run Game | San Francisco 49ers
Game film cut-up of Carver Willis's Washington tape.
Carver Willis projects as a versatile zone-scheme offensive lineman, offering a team a ready-made swing tackle with immediate interior cross-training capabilities. His 1.84 ten-split at 303 pounds, showcasing landmark quickness rather than raw strength, establishes the foundation of his game and his fit in a movement-based system. His extensive experience across multiple positions makes him an appealing and functional depth piece.
Harkening back to his six-year collegiate career, Willis spent five seasons at Kansas State, starting at right tackle and guard, culminating in a Big 12 championship season. He transferred to Washington for his final year, starting all 10 games at left tackle and demonstrating his ability to handle high-level competition, including against J.T. Tuimauola and Ohio State's pass rush. His performance at the Senior Bowl, where he took reps at all five offensive line spots, solidified his reputation for versatility.
While evaluators noted concerns regarding his short 32½-inch arms and limitations against pure power rushers, the consensus viewed him as a late Day 3 prospect. He was ultimately drafted by the San Francisco 49ers at pick 127, aligning with the expected role of a zone-scheme swing tackle who could potentially contribute as a sixth-man interior lineman.
- 01
Quick Landmark Ability
Shows landmark quickness with a 1.84 ten-split, evident when climbing to the second level in wide zone concepts.
- 02
Five-Position Versatility
Versatile lineman who took reps at all five spots at the Senior Bowl, performing well in both run and pass blocking.
- 03
Compact Hand Placement
Displays consistent, compact hand placement inside the frame during pass sets, resetting accurately against rushers.
- 04
Extensive Collegiate Experience
Possesses extensive experience with 45 career games across six college seasons at Kansas State and Washington.
- 05
Functional Recovery Quickness
Exhibits recovery quickness and lateral agility to mirror twitchy rushers, minimizing sack opportunities.
- 01
Short Arm Length
His short 32½-inch arms (6th percentile) allow strong hand-fighters to gain leverage over time.
- 02
Anchor Against Power
Anchor issues persist against pure power rushers, as his narrow base can be pushed back into the pocket.
- 03
Inconsistent Pad Level
Pad level often drifts high on down blocks, leading to a loss of leverage and less dominant finishes.
- 04
Older Rookie Age
Will be a 25-year-old rookie, indicating less developmental runway compared to younger Day 3 prospects.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.11sp50
- Vertical
- 26.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 108inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Kansas State | 4 |
| 2022 | Kansas State | 7 |
| 2023 | Kansas State | 13 |
| 2024 | Kansas State | 11 |
| 2025 | Washington | 10 |
| Career | — | 45 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Undersized-armed college tackle who carved out a long career as a five-position swing piece that could start in a pinch at guard or tackle.
Same 49ers zone-scheme swing tackle who grew into a competent full-time starter through system fit rather than pure traits.
Athletic-but-short-armed developmental tackle whose ceiling ends as a two-position sixth-man rather than a real starter.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context
Carver Willis is a six-year college blocker who spent 2020 through 2024 at Kansas State — redshirting in 2021, playing spot duty as a freshman on the 2020 team, then locking in as a right tackle/right guard starter on the Big 12 title team in 2022 and a full-time starter in 2023 and 2024. He transferred to Washington for 2025 to prove he could handle left tackle in a Big Ten schedule, started all 10 games he played there, and closed his college career with a LA Bowl win over Boise State. The pre-draft process crystallized him as a versatile developmental tackle: 6-5, 303 with short 32½-inch arms, a 5.11 forty, and a Senior Bowl week where the staff rotated him across all five offensive line spots, including center. NFL Draft Buzz and Scouting Grade slotted him as a late Day 3 swing lineman; the 49ers agreed and took him 127th overall.
NFL fit — San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco is arguably the cleanest landing spot on the board for a landmark-first, movement-oriented blocker with 32½-inch arms — Kyle Shanahan's wide-zone system rewards the exact traits Willis flashed at Washington and hides the pure-power questions his frame raises. Expect him to open his rookie year on the game-day 46 as a swing tackle/guard/emergency center behind Trent Williams, Colton McKivitz, and the interior starters, with a real path to first-off-the-bench status by midseason if he acclimates to the calls quickly. The Senior Bowl center reps matter here: San Francisco values inside-outside flex on Day 3 picks, and Willis's ability to slide to guard or spot-start at tackle in a pinch is the version of his profile that gets him active on Sundays. Long-term ceiling is starting right tackle in a zone scheme with a play-caller who can dictate matchups; the more realistic outcome is a decade-long swing lineman with two or three seasons of average starter play mixed in.
Retrospective
Too early to grade — Willis is a rookie on the practice squad/backup end of the roster and the story will be written by whether his hand-fighting and anchor catch up to his athletic testing. The evaluation itself, though, looks clean: this was a five-position developmental tackle in the exact scheme that maximizes his ceiling, and San Francisco has a strong track record of turning that profile (see Colton McKivitz) into functional NFL play. If he never starts, the pick still returns Day 3 value as a swing lineman. If the length-adjusted pass sets translate, this is a Round 4 hit inside the 49ers' ecosystem.