Derrick Willies (born October 17, 1994) is an

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

wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

and played professionally for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL).

Early years

Willies attended and played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

and ran track at Burlington High School in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

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. Administrati ...

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 (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply 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 org ...

. 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: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

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 four campuses serving five counties across the southeast and eastern parts of the state. About TVCC operates four campuses serving the Texas co ...

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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. On October 7 against the

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

, 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

, 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 throug ...

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 o ...

. 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