Linebacker, San
Francisco 49ers
Age: 22
College: Mississippi
Height: 6’1” Weight: 242
Prelude:
Willis capped
an outstanding college career by winning the 2006 Butkus Award as college
football’s best linebacker and starred in the Senior Bowl, where he was coached
by the 49ers’ staff. San Francisco in turn chose him in the first round of the
2007 NFL draft (11th overall) with the hope that he would be able to
compete for a starting job in a rebuilding defense. With his great speed and range,
combined with the tutelage of assistant coach Mike Singletary, he became a
starting inside linebacker and an immediate star at the position.
2007 Season Summary
Appeared and
started in all 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Sacks – 4
Most sacks,
game – 2 vs. Tampa Bay 12/23
Interceptions
– 0
Fumble
recoveries – 1
Forced fumbles
– 2
Tackles – 137
Assists – 37
Awards &
Honors:
NFL Defensive
Rookie of the Year: AP, PFWA
1st
team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
Pro Bowl
49ers went 5-11
to finish third in the NFC West.
Aftermath:
Willis was
credited with another 141 tackles (109 solo, 32 assists) in 2008 and was again
selected to the Pro Bowl. From 2009 through 2012 he was a consensus first-team
All-NFL as well as Pro Bowl selection each year, even though injuries caused
him to miss three games in 2011. By that point, he was a key component of a
solid defensive unit and, while his tackles dropped, Willis was more of a
factor in pass coverage. Overall, through his first six seasons he had
intercepted 7 passes, recorded 17.5 sacks, forced 14 fumbles, and been in on
819 tackles.
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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie
of the Year in the NFL (including NFC/AFC), AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by
a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper
Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the
league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year).
