Why the 49ers Doubled up on Tight Ends by Drafting Brayden Willis
One of the strongest positions in the 2023 NFL draft was at tight end.
The 49ers showcased that by drafting not one, but two tight ends. It all started with Alabama's Cameron Latu in the third round, then followed up with Oklahoma's Brayden Willis in the seventh round with pick No. 247.
Doubling up on tight ends is a bit of head scratcher, but it really doesn't matter much considering Willis is a seventh-round selection. At that point, the 49ers have to draft who they see as the best now and with upside. Willis is apparently that guy. At the 49ers' post-draft press conference, John Lynch explained why the 49ers doubled up at tight end by drafting Willis.
“Really that we had him ranked really high. Everybody always says this, but we had him at the end of the fifth-round grade. When he was still around, it made a lot of sense. He’s got a lot of versatility to his game. He’s a guy who kind of embodies what we like in terms of, after the ball is in his hands, he can do some special things. He can play some tight end, play some fullback. He is a nice tool to move around and made a lot of big plays for Oklahoma. He’s a former quarterback and real smart, cerebral kid. You can put a lot on him. When he was still there it just made sense for us.”
Willis' strength as a tight end is as a receiver, and surprisingly a bit of a gadget player since he has that fullback capability. It's unlikely the 49ers are going to task him with being a blocker a lot. He is going to have to get some strength to him in power as well as technique. The 49ers saw value in him given that he is versatile and is solid with the ball in his hands. He fits the offense perfectly since he aligns well with the rest of players.
I wouldn't expect much out of Willis in 2023. It'll be a tossup alone to see if he can make the team, so that is the first step for him. If he makes it, then that'll be great for the 49ers as it means he has value and can give the 49ers another potential replacement in case they are good to move on from George Kittle in the future. One step at a time though. Let's see how Willis fares going forward.
