Malik Willis – Quarterback – 22 years old – Redshirt Senior – Liberty
Cut : 1m84
Weight : 99kg
Estimated draft position: 1st round
Stats 2021: 13 games, 207/339 (61.1% completions), 2,857 yards, 27 touchdowns, 12 interceptions + 878 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns
NFL Comparison: Jordan Love (Packers) who can run
Strong points
– Athletics
– Mobility
– Arm power
–Leadership
On his position, Malik Willis has athletic qualities above average. He is fast, very explosive on the first meters and his change of direction is phenomenal. This allows him to be an effective dual threat player, able to save himself from a bad situation with his legs. Elusive inside and outside the pocket, he exhibits excellent vision as a runner and can be the leader of a quarterback-centric ground attack. He’s not the biggest in his category, but his size allows him to combine power and speed, necessary to withstand physical impact at the next level. It is undoubtedly the most dangerous in terms of mobility of this cuvée.
Willis also has one of the strongest arms in the category. He is able to push the ball very far and complete passes for big wins. It’s not just about throwing 60-yard bombs. The 22-year-old creates impressive velocity with minimal effort. He throws with a crisp, quick release, and can place leather in tight windows. He is also able to change the angle of his arm in his mechanic in order to get around defenders, and has shown his ability to throw on the move. His natural strength will give him the ability to make all the throws that will be asked of him at the NFL level.
In addition to physical qualities, Willis is a leader on the pitch who tries to uplift those around him. Outside the playing surface, he sends back a posed image during interviews and seems to possess great strength of character. The combination of arm strength, athleticism, and leadership should make him an attractive candidate in a class that promises to be undecided.
Weak points
– Precision
– Decision making
– Pocket management
– Ball safety
A powerful arm, legs of fire, the boy has everything to please? Not quite. Ball safety was questionable last season. He had a few too many loose snaps, fumbles and interceptions. In other areas, it even seemed to regress. Like many quarterbacks in the class, Willis has a job to do from a decision-making standpoint. He must learn when to choose the available option as a setter. He too often uses the power of his arm to try to find targets in depth, when they are not demarcated. A problem compounded by his inability to quickly scan the terrain.
This development also extends to pocket management. While it’s worth pointing out that his offensive line has been abysmal in 2021, Willis tends to run from a clean pocket and go for rushing yards, rather than work on his reads. He also has this annoying tendency to always back up, which puts him at risk of losing significant yards. Another problem is that he doesn’t always feel the pressure on him. He struggles to identify the origin of the opponent’s blitz and concedes too many sacks because of it.
Although he hasn’t been helped by his receiving group, accuracy is another area of concern. Willis struggles to deliver accurate passes consistently. He misses his targets in the short and intermediate areas of the field, often guilty of throwing too high or too deep. And when he hits his target, he could put the ball in the receivers’ path to give them a better chance of gaining yards after receiving.
The stat
51 sacks in 13 games
The Liberty star is hesitant to pull the trigger at times and takes a sack instead of quickly passing the ball to his receiver. His conceded sack rate stands at 13.1% in 2021 (51 sacks in 13 games), an astronomical figure that he will have to improve considerably among the pros.
Possible destinations
Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks
Malik Willis boasts a sparkling combination of arm strength and athleticism that could make him a superstar at the next level. Perhaps no other quarterback in this class has a higher cap. Teams have seen what Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts can do for their teams, and Willis can be the next dual-threat quarterback to break into the NFL. But before that, the young man will have to do a lot of work, especially in terms of precision and decision-making. Between the complexity of the offensive schemes, the readings and the competition, he will experience a huge difference between Liberty and the NFL.
To succeed at the next level, the environment will be decisive. He will thrive in an RPO system within an attack primarily focused on the ground game, with passes thrown in shallow areas. If he lands in a team that accentuates his potential, while showing patience to develop it, he can become an excellent player in his position.
The Panthers clearly need a starting quarterback for years to come and the many bets made in recent years have not paid off. The Falcons are looking for a successor to Matt Ryan, and Willis could slip into that understudy role to learn behind a confirmed veteran. Detroit has 2 picks in the first round and Jared Goff doesn’t really represent the future. In a rebuilding team, why not try your luck? For its part, Seattle has just lost Russell Wilson and could be tempted by the young man who has similarities with the veteran.
