One of the brightest stars with the arguably highest ceiling, Liberty QB Malik Willis has a chance to light the NFL on fire when he eventually makes his debut. Not a perfect prospect, Willis has a plethora of strengths and some weaknesses that can be improved. As we look around the NFL for potential landing spots and their fantasy football impact, how will Willis fit in the NFL, and are there any injury concerns which could worry possible teams?
Malik Willis’ strengths, weaknesses, and more
I would contest that no quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft has the ceiling of Liberty QB Malik Willis. His natural athletic gifts both on the ground and through the air make him a highly coveted draft prospect. While he might not start out of the gates, if a team is patient, they might very well have the next transcendent quarterback ready to leave an indelible mark on a franchise for years to come.
At 6’0 3/8″ and 220 pounds, Willis is what we call rocked up. The guy is thick, and I mean thicc with two c’s. Willis is the closest player we have seen to Lamar Jackson since he came into the NFL in 2017. He is a dual-threat QB with a cannon of an arm. In his final year at Liberty, Willis recorded two 300+ yard passing games, totaled 2,250 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, and completed 64.2% of his passes.
But it was on the ground where he made a difference. Willis led all quarterbacks with 944 yards while posting 14 touchdowns. Those 14 touchdowns were seventh in the nation among ALL players, not just running backs. He capped off his career against Coastal Carolina with one of the best displays of his creativity we had seen yet: a 220-passing yard, 137-rushing yard, 4-touchdown performance.
Strengths
We cannot begin to talk about Willis’ strengths and not discuss his rushing upside. It has become evident in the NFL and fantasy that QBs with rushing upside bring a substantial edge. Look at how Jalen Hurts was able to finish as the QB9 despite completing 61.3% of his passes with just 16 touchdowns. Willis is lightning in a bottle.
Not only is he fast, but his short-area burst is off the charts. He uses that to make defenders look foolish in the pocket like, well, Lamar Jackson. In the open field, Wills runs like a running back or receiver, exuding confidence, ability, and vision.
Yet he is more than just an athlete. Willis is a legitimate quarterback. He has a cannon attached to his shoulder. He can hit the deep 60-yard touchdowns if he wants, but the quarterback position, as we know, is more nuanced than that.
The zip on his ball is effortless and can come from a multitude of arm angles. Outside the pocket, his throw-on-the-run ability forced defenses to make a lose/lose decision as whatever they do, Willis can and will expose them. He is what the modern NFL and fantasy managers want and need.
Weaknesses
This is where the conversation surrounding Willis as a prospect really begins. He is by no means a polished QB. I would go so far as to say he is the most frustrating quarterback I have evaluated in quite some time.
It’s a consistency issue. Willis can go from making a play that would be on every highlight package to making a bone-headed decision or missing a wide-open receiver on the very next rep. You end up with your head in your hands. I urge you to go and watch him take on Ole Miss last season, as it’s the prime example of this duality.
Willis’ up and down 2021 campaign
Even 2021 was a tale of two seasons. Through his first five games of the year, Willis had 17 total touchdowns with zero interceptions, including a 6-touchdown game against Old Dominion. Over the next eight games, he threw 12 interceptions, including three games with 3 picks. He had a 56.5% competition percentage over this stretch.
Those games came against Middle Tennessee State, Lousiana-Monroe, North Texas, UMass, Ole Miss, Louisiana, Army, and Eastern Michigan. Not exactly the Buffalo Bills or even SEC-level competition.
Willis’ progressions can be lacking, and he needs to learn when to take the easy completion. Take some juice off the ball and throw the change-up for the first down. Staying in the pocket as opposed to bailing is another area of improvement. Accuracy is also a concern, sometimes seeming to put too much mustard on the ball and missing high and wide.
All of this can be coached. Willis just needs time. The worst thing that can happen is he goes in and is asked to deliver from Day 1. Let him develop and nurture his skills with an offensive-minded team. If that happens, Willis has a ceiling where a top-six standing in fantasy is not out of the question.
Injury history
For a mobile QB, Willis has escaped significant injury. That’s partially due to his frame, but he’s also an intelligent runner who avoids “the big ones.”
He didn’t initially see a ton of playing time at Auburn behind Bo Nix, attempting just 14 passes. It was not until he transferred to Liberty that Willis got the starting nod. He did not miss a game in his two years at Liberty, though there was a scare.
In Week 8 against North Texas, Willis sustained a foot injury on a third-down play in which he was sacked. He spent a significant amount of time in the locker room before gingerly walking to an awaiting ambulance which transported him to an area hospital for X-rays, which came back negative. Willis was back under center for the very next game.
Top fantasy fits for Malik Willis in the NFL
Which NFL landing spots would be the most advantageous for Willis and benefit fantasy managers? Who will take a shot on arguably the most polarizing QB of the 2022 NFL Draft class?
Pittsburgh Steelers
I’ll be honest: you’re likely going to see me list the Steelers for just about any quarterback out there, rookie or veteran. Ben Roethlisberger is off to a well-earned retirement, and neither Mason Rudolph nor Dwayne Haskins is a long-term answer. Yet, they can be a stopgap, as Mike Tomlin reportedly does not want to rely on a rookie.
“Man, quarterback mobility is valued.” That was also Tomlin when asked if he wants his next QB to be mobile. Well, there is no one more mobile than Willis. Not only did Tomlin speak to Willis during Day 1 of the Senior Bowl, but he spent time with him and his family after practice concluded.
Tomlin has watched what Jackson has done to the Steelers twice a year and sees the Bengals with Joe Burrow. The Steelers want that. Willis could be able to sit back a season and learn the game behind (hopefully) a veteran who can get him in the right direction.
Pittsburgh has playmakers on offense. Najee Harris led the NFL in touches. Diontae Johnson is a top-end target, plus Pat Freiermuth is one of the NFL’s up-and-coming tight ends. The fantasy benefits of adding Willis could be enormous and unlock an entirely new dynamic previously unseen in the organization since the days of Kordell Stewart, who was about 20 years ahead of his time.
Detroit Lions
Believe it or not, the Detriot Lions are building something, and it’s coming along quicker than some expected. Jared Goff is not the answer. You and I know that, and so do the Lions. Yet, they are tied to him for at least another year due to his contract. Perfect. We want Willis to hang out for the season, and the Lions would have little incentive to throw him into the fire on Day 1 while paying Goff an exorbitant amount of money to hold a clipboard.
D’Andre Swift is a top RB in the NFL and fantasy, and he ranks inside my top-three in dynasty at the position. They have a legitimate alpha WR in Amon-Ra St. Brown. Then you add in T.J. Hockenson, who has top-three fantasy TE upside, along with one of the better offensive lines in the NFL, which is anchored at tackle by 2021 seventh overall pick Penei Sewell. All the Lions need to do is add a few more pass catchers around Willis and get a bit more experienced, and you have something explosive in Motor City. It’s time to stop dreading a Lions landing spot for a rookie.
Washington Football Team
When we think of rushing quarterbacks, Cam Newton quickly comes to mind. He’s one of the most decorated dual-threat QBs to lace up a pair of cleats. Who did he have his success and even a Super Bowl berth with in 2015? Ron Rivera, the head coach of Washington. Offensive coordinator Scott Turner has a history of implementing RPOs into the game script, as we saw with Newton and — to a lesser extent — Taylor Heinicke.
I mentioned one of Willis’ strengths is working outside the pocket and throwing on the move. That would work perfectly in this scheme, which can reduce the field into halves. Rather than flooding Willis with information all at once, Washington can run more roll-outs or RPOs to move the pocket and utilize levels concepts with Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, or Antonio Gibson.
Washington needs an identity. They can find that through Willis and become an explosive offense in a division where they need to put up points. For fantasy, I would have no qualms if Willis lands in the nation’s capital.