Oklahoma TE Officially Declares for NFL Draft

Brayden Willis is an outgoing senior but made his announcement on Monday night that he'll put his name in the draft.

John E. Hoover | Jan 2, 2023

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Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma tight end Brayden Willis declared his appreciation to his family, his school, coaches and teammates — and also his intention to enter this year’s NFL Draft.

Willis is an OU senior whose college eligibility has expired. But like teammate DaShaun White did Sunday night, Willis made it known via Twitter he plans to enter the draft.

“To my brothers, my family away from family, that I’ve created here consisting of my teammates and peers is a lifelong, unbreakable bond that I will cherish forever. I appreciate every single one of you pushing me as a player, as a leader every day.

“To the coaching staff, worlds cannot express how grateful I am to you. You believed in me, you put your trust in me and poured into me. You led by example and showed me that despite the adversity of the season, trust in God, trust in the process, and to serve others no matter what.

“And last, but certainly not least, to Sooner Nation. The most passionate, supportive fan base in the world. I will never forget how you accepted me from Day One, embraced me with the highs and lows, and supported me as I leave this great university.”

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Willis, from Arlington, TX, caught 75 passes for 998 yards and 13 touchdowns in his five years at OU. He played in all 13 games a freshman in 2018, played in 57 games in his career and made 24 starts.

As a senior in 2022, he had career highs of 39 receptions for 514 yards and a team-best seven TDs and was one of three Sooners honored with the Don Key Award while earning second-team All-Big 12 honors.

Published Jan 2, 2023

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.