Gerald Willis recruit scouting report: Nasty jumbo defensive end

Gerald Willis is one of the top defensive prospects still on the board for the 2014 class. A product of Edna Carr High School in New Orleans, Willis checks in at 6’3, 275 pounds and projects to play either defensive tackle or defensive end once he reaches the collegiate level.

Willis is ranked as the 23rd best prospect in the nation by 24/7Sports’ composite rankings. They rate him as the No. 2 defensive tackle in his class and the fifth-best recruit in the state of Louisiana. A couple of other scouting services, including ESPN and Rivals, list Willis as a four-star prospect, though they both feature him as a top-50 prospect.

Willis has received interest from schools all over the country. He holds scholarship offers to just about every SEC school, as well as ones to Florida State, Miami, Michigan State, Texas and others.

You can follow Gerald on Twitter: @BNC_GEE. Here are some highlights of him in action:

Bud Elliott, National Recruiting Analyst: Willis is one of my favorite players in the class of 2014. I love his film, and have seen him in person three times. The first thing that pops is that he is consistently nasty. During the Nike Camp in Atlanta, I thought he was going to start a fight after every other rep. He plays extremely hard and through the whistle, and he is tough. He also has a quality that makes him a special defensive lineman: the ability to play the small man’s position of defensive end at the size of a defensive tackle. Many peg Willis as a player who must move inside, but I disagree. In the right system, he can be a tremendous strong-side end. He does a good job of using his length to engage blockers and keep them away from his body, while dropping his hips, establishing a solid base and shedding. He also shows excellent quickness when needed, and is a better pass rusher than one might think for an end of his size. Willis should be able to play some snaps immediately at almost any program in the country.