Longtime college starter has talked with nearly every NFL team
Durango’s Carver Willis (No. 50) plays left tackle for University of Washington football team as the Huskies defeat Purdue 49-13 on November 15. (Courtesy Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)
Scott Eklund
It’s been a long time since former Durango High School football star Carver Willis has been one of the young guys in the room, but it’s very likely that changes soon.
Willis wrapped up his college career at the University of Washington this past winter. It was his lone season as a Husky, but his sixth in college after five years at Kansas State University. The former Demon has protected his quarterbacks well enough on the offensive line over the past few years that he has a chance to sign with a team in the National Football League, whether that’s through the NFL Draft in over three weeks or as an undrafted free agent.
Soon enough, Willis could become a young guy again for the first time this decade as a rookie in the NFL.
“I’m feeling good,” Willis said. “Training has been awesome. I’ve learned a lot, and I continue to learn more every day. I’m just getting ready to go to rookie camp and OTAs and all that. Stock-wise, I don’t know. I haven’t been paying attention to all their projections and all that because it’s kind of nonsense. But life’s pretty sweet.”
After starring at Durango and earning first-team all-state honors his senior year, Willis only played 11 games over his first three years at Kansas State. He had a breakout 2023, playing in all 13 games and starting in seven of them. Willis was named All-Big 12 honorable mention after the 2023 season.
Carver Willis of Durango High School bears down on Ty Blackmer of Montezuma-Cortez High School at DHS. (Herald file)
Willis started 11 games at right tackle in the 2024 season, but he wasn’t satisfied with his play in an injury-riddled season. So Willis entered the transfer portal instead of trying his luck at the NFL Draft. He decided to treat his final collegiate season as preparation for the NFL. He’d be moving to a new team and a different position in the NFL.
At Washington, Willis faced challenges right away when his position coach left before the season. He also tore his MCL (medial collateral ligament) against Ohio State on Sept. 27, forcing him to miss three games. It was the first major injury Willis has had in his career.
Despite the brief absence, Willis earned honorable mention All-Big Ten, which was an impressive feat, especially since Willis moved from right tackle at Kansas State to left tackle at Washington.
Willis said going to Washington was the best decision he’d made in his life.
“They teach you a lot of things about the NFL, so you are much more prepared for this kind of seasonal life,” Willis said. “But overall, it wasn’t necessarily as much as what I learned from UW, as much as it was from the connections and the people I met. The overall experience at UW was incredible.”
Durango’s Carver Willis interacts with fans while playing at the University of Washington in 2025. (Courtesy University of Washington Athletics)
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Since the end of Washington’s 9-4 season, Willis has been training in Cleveland with former NFL offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley and in Chandler, Arizona, with Bentley’s company, AMDG Sports Performance. It’s a purposeful move because Willis knows that he doesn’t have the frame scouts want to see out of an NFL left tackle. Bentley was a former Pro Bowl center, and Willis will have to be an interior lineman, possibly a center, to make it at the next level.
Willis has been working on his stance and technique work with Bentley, really getting into the minute details that separate the pros from the nos at the next level.
The former Durango star got to live out a lot of kids dream in late February and early March by competing at the NFL combine. After letting his MCL heal, Willis had a 5.11-second 40-yard dash, 1.84-second 10-yard split, 26.5-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot broad jump at the combine.
“The combine was cool; it’s an experience I’m happy to do once,” Willis said. “You train a lot for something that’s not directly applicable. It’s more applicable to skill guys … it was an honor to be selected for that … my 40 was slower than it should’ve been. Everything else was right on pace with testing numbers.”
Willis is projected by nfl.com as an NFL backup or special-teams player. NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein wrote that he was impressed by Willis’ run-blocking tape, but he lacks the length of a pro tackle and the frame and core strength of a guard. Zierlein thinks Willis has quickness and grip strength that’ll help him as primarily a zone-scheme guard.
There are plenty of draft analysts who have opinions on what will happen to Willis with the NFL Draft and his career, but Willis is focused on what he can control. He’s met with around 30 teams informally at the combine and the Senior Bowl and around a dozen teams through zooms and visits.
He mostly met with a variety of coaches through these meetings. Most of the time it was with the offensive line and assistant offensive line coaches, a director of scouting, mental health coach and psychiatrist. But with the Atlanta Falcons, Willis met with the head coach, offensive coordinator and general manager.
“Being honest and being yourself is the right way to go about it,” Willis said about the meetings. “I’ve just been as open and authentic as I can be. In this process, if you’re not yourself, it’s a disservice to you and to the team. If a team thinks they’re drafting a particular person and you’re like faking it, then you’re putting yourself in a position to fail. You’re also putting the team in a position to fail.”
There are a lot of good and bad things about the Name, Image and Likeness rules in college sports, but for someone like Willis, it’s already taught him how to manage money since he was paid for his play at Kansas State and Washington. He knows to live below his means and not make any stupid purchases.
Willis is excited for any opportunity as he feels like he has the versatility to play multiple positions on the offensive line. That includes the Broncos. The Durango kid has met with the Broncos’ offensive line coach and sports psychologist.
Every kid dreams of being drafted in the NFL, but there are some advantages to being in Willis’ position of possibly being an undrafted free agent. Instead of being picked by a team, he could pick the best situation for him. If someone is drafted, their first contract is four years. A UDFA’s first contract is three years, so they get to their second contract faster.
He’ll have his fiancee, Maddie, his parents, Brett and Gretchen, and his siblings, Ken and Kayla, in his corner whenever he gets the call from a team on draft night or later.
“It’s a big thing and you’ve worked really hard for it, so I’m going to enjoy the moment for sure … signing to a 53-man is a much bigger deal for me,” Willis said. “Personally, first rounders get cut and free agents make teams … but getting the phone call will be a … fun memory when I’m older.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
