Daniel Jeremiah: Lions Drafting Malik Willis Has 'Potential of a Big Pay Off'
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah believes there is one quarterback who is worth drafting at pick No. 32 in the first round.
In his first released mock draft, the former NFL scout has the Lions selecting quarterback Malik Willis with the final selection of the first round.
"The Lions' situation would be perfect for Willis: Jared Goff can handle the starting duties until the Liberty passer is ready to play. I love Willis' arm strength and athleticism, but he needs to clean up his decision-making and accuracy," Jeremiah explained. "He has the most upside of the QBs in this class."
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In a draft conference with reporters on Friday, the NFL analyst believes the team should avoid targeting a quarterback unless it's the talented Willis, who worked with Detroit's coaching staff at the Senior Bowl.
"There's risk involved with any of these quarterbacks, but he provides the upside to warrant taking the risk. If you're going to take a 'flyer' on a quarterback at the bottom of the first round, I'd sure as heck like to have a big payoff, at least as a possibility," he said. "He's that guy. When you look at the quarterbacks in this draft, he's the one with all that upside."
Jeremiah continued, "You could look at some of the other guys and say, OK, they've got a chance to be starters. But, I don't know that anybody is saying they've got a chance to be high-end starters. I think Malik Willis, while there's obviously plenty of risk, and it's why he could be there at the end of the first round, there's also the potential of a big pay off. That's the one I would kind of target, if he was there."
