Fans wanting the San Francisco 49ers to address the offensive line in the 2026 NFL Draft finally got their wish in the fourth round, where the 49ers selected Carver Willis (6-5, 303) out of the University of Washington at pick 27 (127 overall).

Where Willis fits along the line remains to be seen, but there’s reason to believe he’ll transition well to the 49ers. Here’s what to know about Willis as he makes the move to the NFL.

49ers caught him by surprise, but he’s ready for the transition

Willis, who was with family in Arizona during the draft, didn’t expect the 49ers to call even though he had communication with them throughout the draft process.

“I knew I was on the radar, but no, I had no idea they were about to take me,” Willis told reporters Saturday. “It was a pretty big surprise here at my place.”

Willis had informal and formal meetings with the 49ers during the process and also talked with offensive line coach Chris Foerster during a visit to the University of Washington.

“I met with their O-Line coach a couple of times when he actually came up to Washington as part of the coaching clinic,” Willis said. “A lot of the coaches at Washington have deep relationships with the 49ers and they model a lot of what we did at Washington off the 49ers. So kind of some interesting communication, but it was good.”

Willis transferred to Washington for the 2025 season after four years at Kansas State. It may have turned out to be a blessing as far as his NFL fit because the Huskies and 49ers run similar offenses, according to Willis.

“I think I fit that scheme very well, so I’m very grateful to be a part of that offense going forward,” Willis said.

Position TBD

Willis, who turned 24 on April 20, played right tackle at Kansas State and left tackle at Washington. But he may wind up moving inside once he gets to the pros.

Whether that’s at guard or center remains to be seen, but Willis told reporters he has a love for any offensive line position and is ready to move to wherever he’s needed.

“That’s something every team talked to me about,” Willis said. “I’m happy to do it, no matter where they need me on the line. I’ve just kind of said this the whole time — I just want a shot in the playbook. So anywhere they need me on the line, I’m game. But every team talked to me on the interior.”

Willis saw time at guard during the Senior Bowl and has received some pointers for the center position from a good source — Broncos center Alex Forsyth.

“It’s a different game inside in a little way,” Willis said. “Things get on you quicker, guys are a little bit bigger. So just that adjustment I think will be interesting. Then at center, there’s a center I train with who has talked to me and helped a lot throughout the process. His name’s Alex Forsyth. He’s been huge. He said center’s the hardest pre-snap position but one of the easier post-snap positions on the O-Line. For me, the adjustment to center will be a lot of pre-snap communications than I’m used to and making the calls and doing all that. That’ll be an adjustment, but one I think I’m very capable of doing.”

Run blocking is a strength

Here’s a video that called out Willis’s fit in Kyle Shanahan’s system before the draft, pointing out his ability as a run blocker:

In his NFL.com scouting profile, Lance Zierlein voices a similar opinion, saying Willis stands out as a run blocker but has work to do elsewhere.

“Willis’ run-blocking tape is impressive,” wrote Zierlein. “He’s quick out of his stance, gets into run fits with good pop/aggression and is a consistent block finisher. However, he lacks the length and anchor associated with pro tackles. He also doesn’t have the broad frame and core strength of a guard. His pass protection can be spotty due to oversets and the aforementioned anchor issue, but he has the quickness/grip strength to compete. Willis can fit as a zone-scheme guard and could be considered as a swing tackle who might need protection help.”

Maturation process

Willis made major physical growth in high school, as he was a 5-10, 140-pound quarterback as a freshman who eventually grew into the offensive line. But once he got to Kansas State, Willis found he had some mental growth to go through as well.

“My freshman year, I came in here hot as a pistol and you couldn’t tell me a single thing when I got here at age 17,” Willis told KStateSports.com in 2024. “I was letting everybody know what was up. I had a conversation with one of my coaches the other day and was talked about how arrogance hinders relationships. Obviously, it was a unique situation my freshman year. I played in four games. I attribute that more to COVID than I do to my actual ability, and then, man, my sophomore year, I had an ego bigger than this room. I was starting left tackle, 270 pounds, didn’t fully know the playbook, and I was a disrespectful little dude.”

At one point during his sophomore season, Willis grew so unhappy that he considered quitting the game.

“I was like, my first year was COVID, and COVID season was very hard, and I didn’t see my family for eight months, and I turned 18 years old by myself in my apartment,” Willis said. “It sucked. Sophomore year, I got zero snaps on the field, I was arrogant, and then I got mononucleosis. Coming back from mono, I was like, ‘I’m done.’ I told my parents, ‘I don’t have any love for football anymore.’ But I did.”

But Willis learned to be unselfish and turned himself into a full-time college starter and NFL prospect. He finished his time at Kansas State with 18 starts in 35 games while winning Honorable Mention All-Big 12 Conference in 2023, then won the same honors in the Big Ten while starting ten games in 2025.

“My issue was having no relationships in the locker room, which made football become hard,” Willis told KStateSports.com. “It wasn’t that I didn’t have love for football, it was that I put myself into a position to make football way harder than it needed to be. Somehow, by the grace of God, I figured that out after my sophomore season.”

Learning from the best

Willis immediately realized upon being drafted by the 49ers that he’d have a chance to learn from a future Hall of Famer in Trent Williams. Needless to say, he’s looking forward to that opportunity and plans on digesting whatever Williams would like to share.

“He’s an all-time great,” Willis said. “He’s a legend. So any way I can learn from him or any part of his game I can learn from or his process, I’m excited for it. It’s actually one of the first I said when I got drafted to my family is ‘I can learn from Trent.’ So I’m excited about the ability to go and do that.”