Steelers Sat Front Row at the Malik Willis Show
It wasn't that long ago that Malik Willis found himself on the bench behind Bo Nix at Auburn University. Willis transferred to Liberty for the opportunity to play under Head Coach Hugh Freeze and show the world what he could do. After two years of being arguably the nations top dual-threat quarterback, Willis has found himself in the QB1 conversation in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Willis was all the talk around NFL circles during this past week's Senior Bowl, drawing the attention of pro personnel like Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin and the rest of the Steelers brass were seen courting Willis following Tuesdays practice then later met with his family outside the stadium for a little while.
The former Liberty Flame put on a show for NFL execs throughout the week, drawing rave reviews from pretty much anyone down in Mobile, Alabama.
This week was about giving Willis the chance to play with other NFL caliber talent, something that he had practically never done before this week while in college. Throughout his time in Lynchburg, he was constantly playing behind poor offensive lines that couldn't give him time in the pocket and with receivers that struggle to separate.
Willis college resume includes instances where he's been able to lift lesser teams around him to victory in games that they shouldn't have won.
The first example of this was back in 2020 when Liberty went on the road to play in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Flames would take down the Hokies in a back and forth thriller that would end in a 38-35 result. Willis finished that game with 217 passing yards, three passing scores to go along with his 108 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. It also left the college football world with one of the more unforgettable highlights of the season, a jaw dropping dime off a scramble drill that would got the attention of everyone inside draft twitter.
Plays like this above showcase the physical tools that Willis possesses that make him such an intriguing prospect. He can do things with his arm and legs that other quarterbacks in this class simply cannot.
While he's not quite Lamar Jackson as some people have compared him to, Willis is an extremely elusive runner with a stout lower half capable of running through tackles.
Tomlin has talked a ton about quarterback mobility over the past several months and what that does to NFL defenses as it makes you defend all areas across the field. There are a lot of examples throughout his tape where Willis evades a free rusher in the backfield and turns a negative play into an explosive one. His running back-like vision and ability to create on his own without much assistance from others is second to none in this class.
Willis boasts a bazooka for a right arm and you could tell the difference in velocity between him and the other quarterbacks down at the Senior Bowl.
The ball quite literally flies off of his hand. Per zebra technologies tracking from this weeks practice sessions, Willis' initial ball speed of 75.7 MPH was not only the highest of the week but the highest that they have ever tracked since 2018.
The redshirt senior trusts his arm to test tight windows, even in times where he shouldn't. Through about four games of his tape, it was immediately obvious that there wasn't a throw in the playbook that he couldn't complete. Whether it's honey hole shots against cover 2 or comebacks from the far hash, everything is on the table when calling plays for Willis.
After the initial tape review, Willis flaws are painfully obvious as well.
The processing still needs a good amount of work. Despite being mobile, he creates additional pressure for himself at times with poor pocket navigation and awareness. The overall accuracy issues are probably the biggest concern, particularly downfield despite the improvement in his lower body mechanics over the course of his final season at Liberty. There were also a couple live viewings against lesser competition such as his three interception game against Louisiana-Monroe that warrant a film review.
With all of that being said, those two tantalizing traits (mobility and arm strength) above are what will make Willis a first-rounder come April, despite not having necessarily first round tape. The question for the Steelers and many other teams is where to value this type of risk/reward player. Because that's what you are getting with Willis.
The Pittsburgh organization will no doubt leave no stone unturned in terms of checking out this draft class. They've already made multiple attempts to see Carolina's Sam Howell and Pitt's Kenny Pickett in person last season. It's been confirmed that they met with both Desmond Ridder and Carson Strong at the Senior Bowl.
There's plenty of work ahead to be done on all of these guys and I would be shocked if the Colbert/Tomlin duo wasn't at several of their pro days in the coming months.
The difference in comparing Willis to other guys that they clearly like such as Pickett or Howell is about upside. Pickett's breakout senior season was far superior from a numbers perspective, warranting Heisman consideration. Howell had his moments despite almost all of his weapons turn pro while playing behind an offensive line full of turnstiles. However, neither of those guys possess the same sort of toolkit that Willis does. Both are mobile enough with fine arms but neither have those plus traits that come with Willis.
When taking a quarterback in the first round, the ceiling has to be a significant part of the equation. Having the 16th best quarterback in the league isn't the worst thing in the world by any means but when you don't have that franchise, upper-echelon type of quarterback, you're always going to be left wanting more. It's really hard to transform into that type of guy without plus traits and that's the question regarding both Pickett and Howell.
The easiest way to sustain success over long periods of time in this league is to have great quarterback play. That's why it's important to take big swings at the leagues most important position even if it does come with a lot of risk.
In recent years, the NFL has seen a shift in terms of betting on raw, plus athletes at the quarterback position with rocket arms. Willis is just the latest project to fit into that mold.
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