I haven't watched him but how does he compare to Shane Ray because he's done well enough but was called stiff?
Very different players. Ray is smaller and plays with coordination. He might not have excellent bend or the cliche loose hips, but he's aggressive and takes a beeline for the QB. His limbs move in concert. He is pretty explosive despite mediocre testing numbers. I didn't like Ray and I'm still not a big fan. I don't think he's a solo game change r, even though he's had sack production. His tenacity and violence win some battles, and across from Miller that's been enough. He had 4 sacks his rookie year and 8 this year. I think that's probably his ceiling, although in that scheme he may hit double digit one year of his career. Still, he's young and tough, and seems to be improving, so he could still develop.
Willis might only be listed as an inch taller and 15 pounds heavier, but he looks like he's twice Ray's size. He lumbers. He doesn't show good balance. He ends up on the ground, gets ridden past the pocket, struggles to get off blocks, etc. Now I think most of it is coaching; he plays hard and sometimes you'll see flashes of good technique and shocking speed. He has more upside than Ray if he can unlock his potential. That's the infuriating part of his eval, because I really want to like him, but he's just not ready to contribute.
On the plus side, he's a film junkie. His coaches absolutely love him. Glowing reviews from inside the program. There are a lot of positives and Willis could end up being very good in the right situation. All of his flaws are correctable through coaching and if he gets into a good condition program that emphasises pliability. Haha.
I'd love to get him into my gym and teach him how to move. I've already got my 15 month old climbing boxes, swinging from bars, working on summersaults, and learning tight rope. I could work wonders with someone like Willis if he wanted to improve his mobility, balance, and explosion.
