Willis was announced as a finalist on Thursday for the 2022 class of Modern-Era inductees, the first time he's been given the honor despite being eligible since 2019. Joining Willis in this year's group of finalists is defensive end Jared Allen; offensive lineman Willie Anderson; defensive back Ronde Barber; offensive lineman Tony Boselli; safety LeRoy Butler; return specialist/wide receiver Devin Hester; wide receiver Torry Holt; wide receiver Andre Johnson; linebacker Sam Mills; defensive lineman Richard Seymour; linebacker Zach Thomas; linebacker DeMarcus Ware; wide receiver Reggie Wayne; and former 49ers defensive lineman Bryant Young.
Ryans was asked about Willis after practice on Thursday and explained why he felt Willis should be an easy choice for the upcoming Hall of Fame class.
"I think it's a no-brainer that Patrick is a Hall of Famer," said Ryans, who played for conference foe Alabama while Willis was in college at Ole Miss. "I remember Patrick, he's back at Ole Miss just making every tackle. Even when he had the big club on his fist he's still out there making plays. He's always been a dominant player, from college all the way through his time in the NFL. Patrick is one of the best linebackers to play the game. You talk about speed, you talk about physicality, you talk about smart. He's everything you want in an inside linebacker. He set the tone for the defense here. For the eight, nine years that he was here, he was that guy. He was the leader of this defense."
Willis even helped Ryans through some difficulties in the NFL, even though the two were never teammates. Ryans told reporters that 49ers linebackers coach Johnny Holland made a video of Willis for Ryans while the two of them were with the Houston Texans, and that the video gave Ryans some valuable pointers on how to improve his game.
"Even when I was playing, I was struggling at times with tackles -- open-field tackling at the time," Ryans said. "He makes a DVD for me and it's of Patrick Willis -- just studying Patrick and how he tackled. So it's a definitely a guy I respect -- the utmost respect for Patrick."
The panelist of voters will make their decision on Willis and the other finalists in February. Five Modern-Era finalists will be chosen, with candidates needing 80 percent of the vote to be inducted. Inductees will be announced at this year's NFL Honors show on Thursday, Feb. 10 (9 p.m. ET, ABC).
"I can't say enough things about him," Ryans said. "He's a great man off the field, but he's always been a tremendous teammate and one of the premier linebackers in the league."