Malik Willis set to visit Panthers, Falcons as NFL Draft nears
Malik Willis appears to be the clear favorite for quarterback-needy teams with the NFL Draft inching closer.
According to the most trusted NFL Insider, the two teams up next to meet with Liberty QB, who transferred from the Auburn Tigers and resurrected his collegiate career under former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze — makes it more and more likely the strong-armed signal caller, who has been touted for his athletic skillset, work ethic and high-character humble approach, will hear his name called much earlier than many ever believed just a few months ago.
Matt Miller is one of the top NFL draft evaluators while he didn’t come out and say he believes Malik Willis deserves to be selected in the Top-10 selections of the first round in the draft next April, Adam Schefter’s latest report clearly mentions the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons — two teams in desperate need of a franchise QB — with coaches who need to find a way to win sooner rather than later.
ESPN NFL Draft experts disagree on Malik Willis
The top two quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft are Kenny Pickett out of Pittsburgh and Willis out of Liberty. Both are expected to go in the first round of the draft, but there is a debate on which signal caller should be the first quarterback off the board.
ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. recently released his third mock draft following the initial wave of free agency. In that draft, he had Pickett going 18th overall to the New Orleans Saints and Willis going 20th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Following Kiper’s mock, he and Todd McShay debated between whether or not Pickett or Willis should be the top quarterback in this class.
“Kenny Pickett is just more mechanically sound,” McShay said on the debate between Pickett and Willis. “You can see the 49 starts in his movements, you can see it on tape and certainly with his processing quickness. But you watch that workout and I was impressed. I think I underrated his arm strength based on the velocity he had on the ball, not just driving it vertically 67, 68 yards, but also on the intermediate throws. So he had a great showing yesterday (at his pro day).”
Kiper believes that Pickett is more NFL ready, but that Malik Willis has the higher overall ceiling long-term.
“To Kenny Pickett, he reminds me a lot of Derek Carr,” Kiper said. “He’s that kind of quarterback I believe. So if you’re satisfied with Derek Carr, you might get that kind of quarterback with Pickett. Willis with that Michael Vick comparison, may be that guy you can get that grand slam with as opposed to a home run.”