2022 NFL Draft: Malik Willis, a tale of two quarterbacks

Film Review

Charles Dickens may have been writing about pre-revolutionary France in A Tale of Two Cities. But he could have just as easily been describing the Liberty football program in 2020. Besides being simultaneously the best and worst of times, Dickens mentions how it was an age of wisdom and foolishness, belief and incredulity, hope and despair. Certainly, it was a time of contrasts and varying opinions, based on a person’s own point of view.

So with that in mind, let us discuss three parts of Willis’s film from 2020. We’ll specifically be focusing on the Liberty vs Virginia Tech game (November 7, 2020), which revealed to us a wide variety of positives and negatives regarding Willis as a quarterback.

We’ll break down three things Willis showed during the game that indicate he could be a future first-rounder, as many draft analysts seem to believe. Simultaneously, we’ll explore three traits Willis showed that prove he needs to develop before NFL scouts can be sold on him being “the next Patrick Mahomes”. For fun, we’ll keep it Dickens-themed for consistency, though brevity may be sacrificed in the subsequent sections. Apologies in advance.

Belief and incredulity

Willis earned a bit of a reputation in 2020 as a gunslinger, able to make big-time plays off the vertical passing game. Although he made his name as a dual-threat quarterback in high school, he showed early on at his first college stop how strong his arm could be, as witnessed below during an Auburn spring game:

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/1117166591786004480

When analyzing Willis purely as a pocket passer, he has a lot of traits NFL teams will be interested in. He has a really fast release, throwing fastballs with the flick of his wrists. As the video above shows, he has no shortage of strength to throw the ball and air it out deep downfield. When Willis is at his best, he can make incredible throws that look like he is a future NFL quarterback.

Where Willis falters is his consistency, specifically his accuracy, game to game and even drive to drive. On one drive, Willis throws what looks to be NFL-caliber passes: Absolute laser-focused deep balls that would make Matthew Stafford turn green with envy. But on the next drive, he’ll throw up the jankiest, most unpolished throws: Passes so bad they deserve their own football cringe compilation. SI.com football analyst Cory McCann Ezring puts it (in an otherwise glowing scouting report) better than I ever could:

"Further, Willis can struggle with ball placement on occasion. He can put the ball too high or overthrow his receivers too much. He also can force his receivers into awkward positions by putting the ball on the incorrect shoulder. Additionally, Willis fails to consistently put touch on his throws. – Cory McCann Ezring, SI.com"

There is no better example of this on film than the Liberty vs Virginia Tech game. A game in which Liberty barely won, the final score being 38-35 on a game-ending field goal. As Liberty’s first nationally-ranked opponent, you’d expect Willis to have brought his A-game to this, as Tech was technically an inter-state rival. Not to mention Willis was at one time committed to Virginia Tech, before ultimately deciding not to attend.

But multiple times that afternoon Willis made questionable throws to outside receivers in press-man coverage. Several times, Willis put the ball in danger by throwing it to receivers who were not open on out-routes or making ill-advised attempts down the middle of the field. Eventually, Willis would find success by constantly passing the ball against the left cornerback, on quick outs, before the Tech defense begrudgingly adjusted.

These tendencies can be even more infuriating, as you know Willis can make throws with pinpoint accuracy when he is playing at his best. Even during the Virginia Tech game, you see some amazing throws that illustrate just how much of an asset he is in the passing game, specifically as a sideline thrower. But just as his highlight reel will make you believe he can carry a team with his passing game, the Virginia Tech game shows how much further he really has to go.