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Fall of Miami Hurricanes DT Gerald Willis out of NFL Draft complicated

By Alan Rubenstein

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 13: Bryce Perkins #3 of the Virginia Cavaliers stiff arms Gerald Willis III #9 of the Miami Hurricanes in the first half during a game at Scott Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 13: Bryce Perkins #3 of the Virginia Cavaliers stiff arms Gerald Willis III #9 of the Miami Hurricanes in the first half during a game at Scott Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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The Ravens fired offensive coordinator, Marty Morningweg, Skyler’s father, at the end of the 2018 season. If the any of the NFL teams were blackballing Willis it would most likely be the one that recently employed the father of Willis’ combatant.

Pro Football Talk also speculated that Willis being better against the run than as a pass rusher might have hindered his draft stock. Teams are increasingly looking for defensive tackles who are good interior pass rushers. Willis’ tumbling in the NFL Draft is far more complicated than narrowing it down to one factor.

In addition to his article on the Athletic, Navarro also appeared on the Donno and Friedo show on WQAM on Monday. He mentioned that Morningweg was one of a handful of sons with NFL connections in the Florida football program in 2014. That also included the son of former NFL and Gators running back Fred Taylor.

Fans can learn a lot from Gerald Willis II on the future of his son. Willis II has a positive outlook about his son’s future instead of being bitter that he wasn’t drafted. GW II discussed his son’s situation with Navarro.

"“We as a family wanted him to get drafted, but realistically, man, at the end of the day, he’s still in a great situation…There’s a lot of kids that would love to trade places with him just to be in his situation. I have no doubt Gerald is going to go there and make the team. I’ll bet the whole house on him. Minicamp? Whoever is in front of him is in trouble. All it did was make him more hungry.”"

Navarro reported that an unnamed NFL source told him that Willis did not impress off the field at the combine. Willis was in Navarro’s words “underwhelming” in his interviews with NFL teams and late to meetings at the combine.

Navarro also reported that Willis didn’t attend another meeting with an NFL team because of a family emergency. The unreported reason did not “sit well” with the NFL team who chose another defensive lineman in the draft.

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