Derrick Willies (born October 17, 1994) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

and played professionally for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL).

Early life

Willies attended and played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

and ran track at Burlington High School in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

before transferring

Rock Island High School Rock Island High School, also known as "Rocky", is a public four-year high school located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. Rocky is within the Rock Island–Milan School District 41, and the school colors are crimson and gold. Administr ...

during his junior year and was named all-state at both schools. In track, Willies won the Illinois Class 3A state championship in the 110-meter hurdles.

College career

Willies began his college career at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. After sitting out his first year, Willies had 4 catches for 71 yards and a touchdown as a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

freshman before leaving the team in late October. Willies transferred to

Trinity Valley Community College Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) is a public community college based in Athens, Texas. It has six campuses serving five counties across the southeast and eastern parts of the state. History TVCC was founded in 1946 as Henderson County Jun ...

where he was a first-team Junior College Athletic Association All-American and subsequently transferred to

. Willies caught 36 passes for 592 yards and five touchdowns over two seasons with the Red Raiders.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Willies was signed by the

as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2018. Willies made the Browns 53-man roster and made his NFL debut on September 9, 2018, during the team's season opener against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. On October 7 against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

, Willies caught his first career NFL pass, a 13-yard reception, and had a pivotal 39-yard reception in overtime to set up the Browns' game-winning field goal. After fracturing his collarbone during practice on October 12, Willies was placed on injured reserve on October 13, 2018. On August 31, 2019, Willies was waived by the Browns and was signed to the practice squad the next day. His practice squad contract with the team expired on January 6, 2020, and he was not invited to training camp by any team. Willies was re-signed to the Browns' practice squad on November 17, 2020. He was elevated to the active roster on December 26 for the team's week 16 game against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. Willies was signed to a reserve/futures contract by the Browns on January 18, 2021. The Browns placed Willies on the reserve/retired list on July 30, 2021. He was waived from the reserve/retired list on February 17, 2022.

Tampa Bay Bandits

Willies was selected in the 14th round of the

2022 USFL draft The 2022 USFL draft, also known as the 2022 USFL player selection meeting, was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2022 USFL season. The draft was held on February 22–23, 2022, with results released thro ...

by the

Tampa Bay Bandits The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team in the United States Football League (USFL) which was based in Tampa, Florida. The Bandits were a charter member of the USFL and was the only franchise to have the same principal ...

. He was transferred to the team's inactive roster on April 22, 2022. He was moved to the inactive roster again on May 11. He was moved back to the active roster on May 20.

NFL statistics

References

External links

Cleveland Browns bioTrinity Valley Community College Cardinals bioTexas Tech Red Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willies, Derrick 1994 births Living people American football wide receivers Cleveland Browns players Iowa Hawkeyes football players Sportspeople from Rock Island, Illinois Players of American football from San Bernardino, California Texas Tech Red Raiders football players Trinity Valley Cardinals football players Tampa Bay Bandits (2022) players