Liberty quarterback Malik Willis has quickly turned into the most talked-about prospect heading into this year’s NFL Draft.
Willis’ ability to move and arm strength have made him an intriguing name for a while now, but serious questions about his accuracy made folks wary of spending a top-tier draft pick on him.
It appears the doubts are fading, though.
This week, Willis has found himself in the headlines for one positive thing after another.
First there was a viral clip of him doing a good deed that completely blew up on social media:
Was having lunch yesterday and saw one of the Combine guys helping out someone on some hard times…@malikwillis being great even when nobody is watching. How can you not be a fan of this guy? pic.twitter.com/BmFzUM66NU
— Ryan Lacey (@rlacey23) March 3, 2022
Then there was ESPN NFL insider Mina Kimes naming him the most “interesting” player in this year’s draft:
.@minakimes calls QB prospect Mailk Willis the “most interesting player in the draft”
“His traits are unreal. … There are going to be teams that look at him and have visions … of Josh Allen and Justin Herbert. … His ceiling is outer space!” pic.twitter.com/oewjihDNDz
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 3, 2022
“I think he’s the most interesting player in the draft,” Kimes said.
“When I watch him, I still have questions. Like I don’t know if he can cut down on the sack rate and the turnovers, or run a pro-style offense. But I do know this: watching his tape, there are more moments where I say words I can’t say on cable television than any other quarterback.”
Kimes believes Willis’ potential is sky high.
“There are going to be teams that look at him and have visions – maybe wrong visions – of Josh Allen and Justin Herbert,” she said. “Todd, you talked about his ceiling. I think his ceiling is outer space, and someone is going to want to board that rocket ship even if it goes horribly wrong.”
On Thursday, Willis got yet another feather in his cap. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Willis earned an exceptional Wonderlic score:
From NFL Now: On the QB interviews, how Desmond Ridder and Malik Willis have both stood out and why Willis’ brain (with an impressive 32 on the Wonderlic Test) has made an impression. pic.twitter.com/YbMsFJfJzT
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 3, 2022
For context, a 32 is higher than Patrick Mahomes (24), Russell Wilson (28) and Drew Brees (28). It’s also just one point shy of Tom Brady’s mark (33).
It will be interesting to see where Willis ultimately ends up going in the draft. The hype for him is really, really starting to build.
Last year at Liberty he finished with 2,857 passing yards and 27 touchdown passes, while also running for 878 yards and 13 scores on the ground. The buzz around him over the past month has been solid, albeit a bit muted.
— Game 7 (@game7__) March 3, 2022
That’s all changing now, though.
There are a couple of quarterback dominos that need to drop in the coming weeks, but once that is done, a clearer picture regarding Willis’ future should emerge.
Obviously there is one squad that has been linked to Willis most so far, but that will likely change in the next few days. His stock is skyrocketing, and it wouldn’t be all that shocking to see him trigger a bidding war for his services by the time the draft actually rolls around.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
