SANTA CLARA — Carver Willis’ sister often joked in the run-up to the 2026 NFL Draft that whichever team selected him would be getting two for the price of one.Or, maybe, she was not joking.
“Obviously, we watched football growing up, and she wanted to be the first female football player in the NFL,” Willis told NBC Sports Bay Area on “Meet the Rookies.”
“I followed in her footsteps and ended up falling in love with the game.”
Willis is an offensive lineman who developed over six seasons of college football. He began at Kansas State before transferring to Washington for his final season.
And he owes a lot to his sister for setting an example for him.
Kayla Willis was a spunky guard and linebacker during her football career, which stretched from fourth grade through her sophomore year of high school. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carver Willis (@carver_willis77) The siblings were teammates for one season at Miller Middle School in Durango, Colorado, and for one last season on the Durango High junior varsity team.
After she...