The 2022 NFL Draft is not the 2021 NFL Draft when it comes to “can’t miss” quarterback prospects. He likely won’t match the common draft-era record (since 1967) of five catches in the first 15 picks a year ago (tied with 1999 for most catches in the first 15 picks).

However, many NFL teams go into each offseason unhappy with their guy in the game’s most important position. After all, not every team has an Aaron Rodgers, a Tom Brady or a Patrick Mahomes.

For teams in need of a quarterback of the future, look no further than Liberty’s Malik Willis. He has the strongest arm in the draft and the best running ability in that position, using both to find the end zone more than any other quarterback in this class in his two seasons (2020-21) in as a starter for the Flames.

Here’s why Willis should be the first caller off the board on draft night.

Arm like a rocket launcher

Watching Willis throw deep can put a smile on any football fan’s face. The soccer ball flies through the air with smoke billowing from it with each tight spiral. One of the craziest elements of the 80 second clip of his deep passes below is that whether he’s standing in the pocket or rolling right or left, the power on every throw seems to be exactly the same – full throttle.

“I had Malik Willis as the No. 1 quarterback for a while. Navigating the pocket and making super sound decisions, he’s raw in those areas. But the physical attributes are through the roof and line up on today’s young wave at quarterback He’s a phenomenal athlete who can become a star as a scrambler and in the designed running game and more importantly he’s capable of high throws degree of difficulty at all levels of the field in this class,’ said CBS Sports NFL Draft writer Chris Trapasso.

This pitch below against UAB shows Willis’ ability to make a quick decision, get into position to make the best pass based on where he anticipates his receiver will be and throw a strike for a gain of 30 to 35 yards despite not having his feet on the ground and with a defender in his face. These are the types of throws that Mahomes and Bills quarterback Josh Allen makes at the top level with regularity, separating them from their peers.

One of the knocks against Willis is that Liberty, being a smaller school, doesn’t give him the opportunity to regularly compete against the best of the best in the Power Five conferences. Still, Willis capitalized on his opportunity against Virginia Tech, leading the Flames to a 38-35 road win in 2020. In a game where Willis had 325 yards (217 passing and 108 rushing) to go along with four touchdowns ( three assists and a rush), that throw below shines bright. His running back sniffles on his blocking mission, leaving Willis in a bad pass against a lightning defensive back. No problem, because he moves away and uncorks a perfect dart towards his receiver for a gain of almost 50 meters while unbalancing.

It’s an absurd throw that doesn’t look too different from a throw Rodgers made against the Dallas Cowboys in the 2016 Divisional Playoffs. A pitch that put Packers kicker Mason Crosby in position to throw the winning field goal when time expired.

Sure, Rodgers does it in the NFL playoffs, while Willis makes that pitch in an accelerated pass-option offense at the college level against an ACC foe. Willis will surely have to stretch his football IQ when it comes to learning the type of schemes handled by NFL offenses, but he is confident he will be able to succeed in any system in which he is placed. In fact, when asked at the combine what type of offense he’s best suited for at the next level, Willis simply replied, “The one that scores points.”

Another reason Willis isn’t considered a sure thing is that he has such a strong arm that his accuracy could be improved. (Willis has never had a completion percentage above 65% at Liberty.) But that doesn’t mean he can’t make significant progress in that department in a short time.

CBS Sports NFL Draft Analyst Ryan Wilson:

There are many instances on tape where you wonder what happened; whether it’s a bad interception, a missed read or an inaccurate pass. And while these concerns aren’t unique to Willis — every quarterback on planet Earth has made these mistakes — the frequency with which they occur gives you pause when it comes to drafting it with a pick among the top 10. And this is where the work begins. Because it’s easy for an NFL team to just shut up, wave their arms, and say, “There’s no way we can draft that player that high.” And it’s just as easy to shout, “But the tools! We can make it work, let’s roll the dice!” And maybe you get Josh Allen…or you might end up with Mitch Trubisky.

Just look at Allen, another big-armed quarterback from a small school (Wyoming) who was ranked seventh overall in 2018. Allen has never had a completion percentage above 60% once. that he became the full-time starter in the second year, and it was ‘It was not until his third season in the NFL that he found his correctness. Since then, Allen has been an MVP runner-up (second to Aaron Rodgers in 2020) while leading the Bills to back-to-back seasons with playoff wins for the first time since the Jim Kelly era in the 1990s. He’s also the only player in NFL history with 100+ passing touchdowns (103) and 30 rushing touchdowns (31) in their first four seasons combined.

Comparison of the last two college seasons of Malik Willis and Josh Allen

Willis admitted to the combine that his accuracy could be better, and he has a good idea of ​​how to improve it.

“Definitively [need to work on] my footwork to try to be as consistent as possible in my base because that’s where some of the flaws in my game come from, maybe some inaccuracies,” Willis told the combine. “That comes from my footwork, not from being inaccurate.

And even with footwork that will need to be honed to the next level, Willis has shown an ability to find success on plays as a passer even when his unrefined feet fail him, as shown in the Senior Bowl in February.

Legs like Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts

While there are a few questions about Willis as a setter, there are none about him as a runner. He was college football’s most elusive runner in 2021, leading the nation in missed tackles just ahead of Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III, who received the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back.

Most missed tackles forced on runs (2021 season)*

1. QB Malik Willis (Freedom): 90
2. RB Kenneth Walker III (Michigan State): 89
3. RB Isaiah Ifanse (Montana State): 88
4. RB Ramon Jefferson (Sam Houston State): 87
5. RB Jaylen Warren (Oklahoma State): 85

*Statistics by PFF

Willis made his best impression of the speed of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson combined with the ability of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to repeatedly ignore defenders throughout college and the pre-draft process. No quarterback has had more rushing yards (1,822) or TD rush (27) than Willis in the past two seasons for good reason. Players trying to tackle Willis regularly seem to be a little slow.

Here he is in the Senior Bowl looking like the Ravens quarterback, passing some of the best upper class men in the country as he whittles down the entire field.

Not only does Willis have top-notch speed, but his agility is just as strong, as shown here, leaving a defender from a top-20 ranked Ole Miss team in the dust. Plays like this, combined with arm skill, are among the reasons he’s likely to hear his name called in the first round.

Along with the one-arm cannon and the ability to cut in no time, Willis displayed the type of off-screen leadership any employer would seek, doing the right thing when no one was looking. He became a trending topic on Twitter for going out of his way to treat a homeless pregnant woman with kindness and generosity in gifting him NFL overalls it had been given for the week.

Overall, Willis has some elite tools. He’s not quite on the level of Jackson in terms of speed, but he has the potential to immediately become one of the NFL’s top five rushers at this position. His arm skill is remarkable, both in terms of sheer power and touch to hit his target in several different spots on the court.

Willis hasn’t led an offense that mirrors what’s happening on Sunday, but if an offensive plan is built around his skills, he could lead a team to the playoffs sooner rather than later – just like Jackson and Hurts have fact. Ultimately, a player with his cap is worthy of being the first quarterback on the board.

“In an ideal world, he’d be drafted into a situation where he doesn’t have to start on day one. It would be in his best interest to land with a team that has a veteran or bridge quarterback so that he can develop at his own pace Team Draft Traits and Willis has more upside than any other quarterback in this class Likewise he also carries a high level of risk as a player who needs to speed up his processing and be more efficient in the middle of the field,” said CBS Sports NFL draft writer Josh Edwards.