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8. Patrick Willis

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8. Patrick Willis

The professional football career of Patrick Willis was considered brief, as he only played eight seasons, but they were electric campaigns.

Willis was the 2006 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and that parlayed the Linebacker from Mississippi to a First Round Pick by the San Francisco 49ers.  Willis wasted zero time in establishing himself in the pro ranks.  In his rookie year, Willis led the National Football League in Solo Tackles (136) Combined Tackles (174), and he was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year along with a Pro Bowl appearance and a First Team All-Pro. 

Willis was named a Pro Bowler again in 2008, where he was a Second Team All-Pro, and in 2010 he repeated his rookie year with a league-lead in Combined Tackles (152) and Solo Tackles (114).  From his rookie year until 2013, Willis was a perennial Pro Bowler, and from 2009 to 2012, he was always named a First Team All-Pro, giving him five in total.  There was little doubt that Willis was an elite Inside Linebacker while he played, and that elite period was over a half-decade. 

After appearing in only six Games in 2014 due to injury, Willis shocked the world by retiring before the age of 30.  Willis would accrue 950 Tackles and 20.5 Sacks over his career, and he is likely a future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.  Willis was also named to the 2010s All-Decade Team.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Linebacker
  • Acquired: Selected in the 1st Round, 11th Overall in the NFL Draft 4/28/07.
  • Departed: Retired 3/10/15.
  • Games Played: 112
  • Notable Statistics:

    112 Games Started
    8 Interceptions
    131 Interception Return Yards
    2 Interception Return Touchdowns
    16 Forced Fumbles
    5 Fumble Recoveries
    3 Fumble Recovery Yards
    20.5 Quarterback Sacks
    950 Combined Tackles
    733 Solo Tackles
    217 Assisted Tackles
    60 Tackles for Loss
    41 Quarterback Hits
    108 Approximate Value

    8 Playoff Games
    1 Interception
    -1 Interception Return Yards
    1 Fumble Recovery
    0 Fumble Recovery Yards
    2.0 Quarterback Sacks
    71 Combined Tackles
    60 Solo Tackles
    11 Assisted Tackles
    3 Tackles for Loss
    4 Quarterback Hits

  • Played For: San Francisco 49ers
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    First Team All-Pro (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012)
    Second Team All-Pro (2008)
    Pro Bowl (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013)
    AP Defensive Rookie of the Year (2007)
    PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year (2007)
    All-Rookie (2007)
    Most Solo Tackles (2007 & 2009)
    Most Combined Tackles (2007 & 2009)

Last modified on Monday, 12 September 2022 23:01

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