Undrafted Packers Rookie Embraces Opportunity to Replace Malik Willis

The Green Bay Packers lost their premier backup quarterback, Malik Willis, in free agency.

Maybe – just maybe – they replaced him with Kyron Drones.

Drones signed as an undrafted free agent after being a three-year starter at Virginia Tech. He is an incredibly talented project.

“A lot of NFL teams felt like we can kind of rewire this guy pretty quickly,” East-West Shrine Bowl executive director Eric Galko said, “because he has probably the best arm talent in the draft, if not the best, like one of the best of all quarterbacks.”

That line brought a smile out of Drones.

“Yeah, I’m always going to agree with that,” he told Packers On SI. “I feel like I got the best arm, best talent, best size-wise that I can run, too. So, I feel like I’m a complete QB. I can only get better. My footwork, I know that’s what I need to work on. And once I get that down pat, I’m going to be a hell of a player.”

Drones was not the sum of his prodigious parts. In three seasons with the Hokies, he completed only 58.3 percent of his passes. As a fifth-year senior, he completed 56.5 percent of his passes and averaged 6.1 yards per attempt – both the worst marks of his career.

But Drones has a tantalizing skill-set – one the Packers became enamored with after watching Willis slice and dice defenses in part-time duty the past two seasons. Drones was one of two quarterbacks who the Packers hosted for a predraft visit.

Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) looks to pass during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles. | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

At 6-foot-1 5/8 and 226 pounds with 4.62 speed in the 40, Drones rushed for 1,798 yards and 20 touchdowns in his three seasons at Virginia Tech. College rushing numbers, for some reason, include yards lost to sacks. Take those out of the mix, Drones rushed for 2,222 yards with a 5.9-yard average, according to PFF. That includes 987 yards in 2023 and 816 yards in 2025.

“They see me for long term, not short term, just how they see me bringing qualities like Malik brought,” he said. “And then when my name’s called, they know I’m going to put the work in and try to do whatever I can to win games.”

The passing numbers weren’t nearly as good but there are circumstances to consider. Count drops as completions and take deflections and throwaways out of the mix, his completion rate jumped to 67.4 percent, according to PFF. He was pressured on almost 40 percent of his dropbacks.

“Probably one of, if not the, best athletes at the position in this class,” a high-ranking scout said after the draft. “I think if he changed positions, you could argue the same thing. He’s big, he’s strong, strong arm. All the video game parts of an athlete, he has it. He just doesn’t have really good accuracy and he doesn’t make good decisions, so that’s two of the most important things you can have for a quarterback. But he is very talented. He is very talented.”

Time is on Drones’ side to capitalize on his talent. The Packers signed Tyrod Taylor to be Love’s backup for this season. It will be Drones vs. Kyle McCord, a sixth-round pick by the Eagles last year who spent the season on their practice squad, to be the developmental third quarterback.

Drones will have to compete with McCord for the right to stick around into September, but the competition might be more against himself.

“I feel good that I got time to really develop and be something in one or two years,” he said. “One, two, however many years it takes, whenever I get my name called, I just don’t look back with it.”

Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones celebrates a touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles. | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Galko said the lack of pass protection and the problems at receiver led to some “short-term bad habits” that will need to be addressed, a fact Drones recognizes. The skill-set is superb, though, which makes Drones a no-risk, high-reward prospect after going undrafted and getting only a $5,000 signing bonus to join the Packers.

Drones knows there is work to do, and he’s eager to get started.

“Just take the information I’m learning, learn from the coaches, learn from Jordan, see what he’s doing in games, and just take bits and pieces from everybody and then implement what I can do great, and then just put that all together,” he said.

Drones will have another mentor on the roster, Taylor, who starred at Virginia Tech before embarking on an NFL career that’s entering its 16th season.

“That’s going to be a cool experience for him,” quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy said. “You’re going to Virginia Tech and you get to see that guy and then the career he has, I think it’s going to be really cool. We’re excited to work with Kyron. He’s played a lot of football and he showed a lot of things that he can do. And now we’ll throw him into what we’re doing here and we’ll see how this all can stick for him.”

Drones was disappointed that he wasn’t drafted, though he likes where he landed. He liked “the vibes” following his “30” visit, and the Packers were the “team I wanted” to sign with in hopes of developing into a Willis-style backup.

That path will continue with the second week of OTAs this week.

“Arm talent, size-wise, running-wise, there’s a lot of similarities,” he said of Willis. “And I know I can bring the same thing, if not more.”

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