Khari Willis reacts to being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts

Khari Willis was a bit of a wildcard in the 2019 NFL Draft.  A team captain and a strong tackler and defender, Khari Willis seemed like a surefire NFL talent, but he was all over the board in early mock drafts. From as high as the second round, to as low as the sixth round, no one was really sure where Willis would be drafted.

That’s a big reason why he showed so much relief after hearing the Indianapolis Colts traded up to draft him in the fourth round.

The moment Khari Willis heard his name called in the draft. pic.twitter.com/p4vE0ifVgN

— Matt Wenzel (@mwenzel2) April 27, 2019

Interesting tidbit: Draft pick Khari Willis is the cousin of former Colts wide receiver Bill Brooks, who's in the team's Ring of Honor.

Willis says it was pretty clear to him the Colts didn't wanna take the chance on missing on him. Traded up 20 spots. "Says they want me."

— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) April 27, 2019

Here’s what Willis had to say about the pick:

“Very excited to be here, I’ve always been a Colts fan, obviously Tony Dungy is from here in Jackson, my cousin Bill Brooks played there for a lot of years so I’m excited to get started, get with my teammates, so let’s go make this happen. Thank you.”

Willis referenced two Colts connections for him.

1. Tony Dungy is from Jackson, Michigan and has a relationship with the Willis family.
2. Khari’s cousin, Bill Brooks, played most of his career with the Colts and is actually in their Ring of Honor. Khari noted that he has ‘always been a Colts fan’ which is cool for Indianapolis fans, I’m sure.

"Let's go make this thing happen!" -Khari Willis#ColtsDraft | #ColtsForged pic.twitter.com/tp7ea3k3WZ

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) April 27, 2019