Former Miami star Gerald Willis III was once considered one of the best defensive tackle prospects in the country, but he was left stunned when seven rounds went by in the NFL Draft and he did not hear his name called. That may have been more about what he has done off the field than on it.
Manny Navarro of The Athletic spoke with Willis’ father, Gerald Willis II, and the elder Willis said he has “no clue” why his son wasn’t picked despite every team giving him a fourth-round grade or better. However, sources told Navarro that some of Willis II’s former coaches from the University of Florida may have given NFL teams negative reviews of him, as Willis was kicked off the team in 2014.
Willis was dismissed from the Gators football team following multiple reported altercations with teammates, one of which came after he was accused of stealing former Florida third-string quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg’s cleats. The two got into a fist fight over the incident, and Willis was later kicked off the team.
That was apparently only part of the story, as Navarro reports that some former Miami coaches who worked under Al Golden and Mark Richt also talked negatively about Willis. Willis was suspended multiple times at Miami before voluntarily sitting out the 2017 season. For what it’s worth, Miami’s current coaching staff and head coach Manny Diaz supposedly gave Willis “glowing reviews.”
Perhaps the most important issue Willis had leading up to the draft was when he did not impress teams in interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine and was late to a few meetings. Even if NFL officials were willing to overlook some of the issues he had in college, that may have shown a lack of maturity from the second-team AP All-American defensive tackle.
If you remember, Willis was one of the players that was so good he was advised by some to skip his team’s bowl game. He chose to play anyway, but that apparently was not enough to impress NFL teams. Willis will still get a shot in the NFL, as the Baltimore Ravens have signed him as an undrafted free agent.
