The San Francisco 49ers selected offensive linemanCarver Willisout of the University of Washington with the No. 127 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Across six collegiate seasons split between Kansas State and Washington, Willis developed into a versatile and experienced offensive lineman known for his athleticism and positional flexibility.

From studying 49ers film at Washington to now preparing to learn from All-Pro tackleTrent Williams, Willis arrives in Santa Clara with a strong football foundation and a willingness to contribute wherever needed along the offensive line.

Here are five things to know about Willis:

Willis brings extensive collegiate experience to the NFL after appearing in 45 games with 28 starts across six seasons split between Kansas State football and University of Washington football. He spent five seasons at Kansas State before transferring to Washington for his final year in 2025.

In his lone season with the UW Huskies, Willis started all 10 games he appeared in and earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten recognition. Prior to that, he started all 11 games for Kansas State in 2024 and earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors in 2023. Across his career, the offensive lineman developed experience at multiple spots while helping anchor both programs up front.

Football was a family affair for Willis.

Willis grew up with two older sisters, Kenna and Kayla, and attended Durango High School in Colorado before beginning his collegiate career.

He credits his older sister, Kayla, for introducing him to football specifically. Kayla played both left guard and middle linebacker from fourth grade through her sophomore year of high school, helping inspire Willis to pursue football himself.

Although Willis played tackle throughout college, versatility quickly became one of his biggest selling points entering the NFL.

At the Senior Bowl, he stepped in at all five offensive line spots, including guard and center for the first time. He later snapped at Washington's pro day and said he wants to be available wherever a team needs him.

"One of my main selling points in this whole process was, 'Hey, I can be a legitimate backup at all five (positions),'" Willis said during rookie minicamp. "I think I can start somewhere on the line having that ability is something that I believe the Niners are really smart and want to take advantage of."

When asked about Willis post draft, head coach Kyle Shanahan also preached his ability move around.

"We'll start him off inside,"Shanahan said."See if he can do it there and give him a chance to try to earn that spot."

Before protecting quarterbacks and opening rushing lanes, Willis was balancing multiple sports growing up in Colorado.

The Durango native competed in competitive cycling as a youth and developed as a multi-sport athlete before fully focusing on football.

Willis also found a new hobby during his one season in Seattle. In an interview withHuskies Wire, the offensive lineman shared that he had never played golf before arriving at Washington. By the end of the year, it had become one of his favorite off-field activities.

"Legitimately never played golf until May," Willis said. "Now I play golf a lot."

"Any time spent with the boys was a good time," Willis added while reflecting on his favorite memories from Washington.

Away from football, Willis is also a dog owner and said his Great Pyrenees named Goose is one of his favorite companions off the field.

Willis arrived in Santa Clara with more familiarity with the organization than some might expect. During his time at Washington, the Huskies regularly studied 49ers film, not just for scheme concepts, but for practice habits and preparation standards.

"At UW, the Niners can do no wrong," Willis said during rookie minicamp. "We watched their walkthroughs to learn how to walkthrough. We watched their practice tape to learn how to practice professionally UW really respects the Niners."

Now with the 49ers, Willis is eager to learn from one of the NFL's best offensive linemenTrent Williams. During rookie minicamp, Willis shared a funny story from the night he was drafted, recalling opening Instagram and seeing Williams appear in his suggested follows with a "follow back" notification attached. With a smile across his face, Willis said it was a "surreal moment."

"No one genuinely has done it better for longer," Willis said. "If I can even take a little bit of that, I'd be thrilled."

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