The hype is getting real.
For good reason, I cannot turn on Charlotte sports talk radio (shoutout to Nick Wilson) without hearing the name Malik Willis being tied to the Carolina Panthers.
It’s also mock draft season. Plenty of nationally respected mocks pegs the Liberty quarterback to the Panthers at No. 6.
Hop on Panthers Twitter for an exhausting couple of minutes where fans and analysts alike are speaking Willis to Carolina into existence within their respective echo chambers.
I understand why.
Willis impressed at the Senior Bowl. Watching him live solidified what his tape shows. As a thrower, the ball screams off his hand. When accurate, he throws the best and strongest ball among his peers. I thought he carried himself with poise and confidence during his press conferences. A natural leader who is comfortable with all eyes on him.
Equally important, his 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame looks the part. He’s thick in the right spots (large forearms and thighs) and is the best athlete in his class.
“You categorize him as a guy with high-end traits,” an NFL scout told The Observer. “He’s got an absolute hose for an arm. Then you look at his lower half. He’s built like a running back. It’s unbelievable. Like, if you didn’t know that guy played quarterback and you looked at his lower body you’d think he’s Adrian Peterson.”
The Panthers hold the No. 6 pick in the 2022 draft. They should have their pick of quarterbacks, including Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett. Both Willis and Pickett separated themselves from other Senior Bowl throwers Sam Howell (North Carolina), Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati), Carson Strong (Nevada), and Bailey Zappe (Western Kentucky).
Though some scouts don’t believe there is a quarterback worthy of a top-10 selection, at least one will go by then. If Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer and his staff fall in love with either Willis or Pickett then making them their pick at six makes sense as Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker are the only quarterbacks under roster.
We have a long way to go until the draft. The NFL Scouting Combine is set for early March and pro days will follow. But it’s clear Willis will be in play for Carolina. Because of that, let’s break down some of his film and discuss what Willis would bring to the Panthers.
Willis as a runner
Let’s start with Willis the runner. To be clear, I think his best attribute is his cannon arm. This isn’t a running back who is trying to throw or a player that should ever consider switching positions. No. Willis is a throwing quarterback who also effectively beats defenses with his legs to either extend plays or rush himself.
Willis carried the ball 197 times and gained nearly 900 yards this past season. Many of those gains came on designed quarterback runs.
For this film study, I focused on Liberty’s Week 4 game against Syracuse. The Orange won a thrilling game 24-21. Rarely does one game tell an entire story about a prospect but I thought Willis’ performance at the Carrier Dome showcased all the good, bad and exciting parts of his game. Let’s start with his legs.
On this below play, Liberty faced a third-and-one near midfield early in the first quarter. Willis runs two-back power as the ball carrier and probes the line of scrimmage before cutting back.
Once he hits the second level, his running back instincts take over. He’s difficult to bring down and can carry defenders with him.
The next play showcases his creativity. The best quarterbacks are problem erasers. When a call doesn’t unfold perfectly, their feet create a secondary play.
Liberty converted a third-and-10 by Willis making a free-rushing Orange defender miss off the right edge. Syracuse blitzed Willis often. It usually worked but when it didn’t, he gashed them for either explosive runs or big outside throws.
Before Panthers’ fans get too hot and heavy, remember this young man is not Mike Vick or Lamar Jackson. He’s wildly athletic but I don’t see Vick or Jackson twitch. He compares more to Josh Allen.
Willis took several sacks against Syracuse. Some came because he tends to hold on to the ball too long. This third-quarter play on first-and-down proves he is not Houdini.
He’s usually the best athlete on the field, but that won’t be true in the NFL. He cannot escape every situation and sometimes that leads to compounded problems. Part of the above sack can be blamed on play design. There was no check-down outlet available. But Willis still ate it.
Willis as a thrower
Some of these throws are so exciting. His arm can access the entire field, which must give opposing defensive coordinators headaches.
The Orange used a two-high scheme against Willis, forcing him to throw underneath or take daring holeshots on the outside.
A holeshot versus Cover 2 is the sweet spot between an underneath outside corner and the high safety behind him. Willis shows off his cannon and accuracy on this 20-yard completion late in the second quarter.
Willis flips the field by pinpointing a throw from the opposite hash all the way to the left sideline and squeezing it perfectly between the corner and safety.
Not many quarterbacks can make this throw as consistently and effortless as Willis.
Versus man coverage, Willis quickly identifies favorable matchups and lets his playmakers compete. On this first-and-10 play, Liberty picked up 27 yards on a deep vertical during a two-minute drill late in the second quarter.
At the snap, Willis peeked left and then snapped his helmet back right to throw an alley-oop up for his receiver. Great ball.
But he’s far from perfect in the pocket. When his outside throws aren’t available he can be late across the middle. Sometimes he doesn’t trust his eyes, which results in sacks.
On this next third-and-10 play, Willis doesn’t take a quick underneath throw available via No. 1 to his left. Instead, he holds the ball and is eventually swallowed by a spying defender.
But again, he throws a beautiful outside ball against two-high or man coverage. Below, the Orange are running a Cover 4 match coverage. Because the Liberty receiver runs a double move, the coverage is essentially man and Willis burns them for six.
Versus the blitz
In this game, Willis did not have enough designed check-downs available. If he were to play with Christian McCaffrey, check-downs would become his greatest asset.
Below, Liberty faced a five-man blitz from their own 40. It’s third-and-10. The defense’s stunt versus right tackle and guard worked and Willis takes a massive sack only three plays after a 20-yard gain.
Late in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 21-21, Willis took an unforgivable sack which resulted in a turnover. The Orange overloaded one side and played double robbers behind.
When he tried to escape, Willis did too much and fumbled the ball on first down. It’s inexcusable and a prime example as to why he is not ready to start Day 1.
In the red zone
Willis is a lot of fun to watch in the red zone. His feet make him a threat to rush for double-digit scores in any NFL season. Moving him in the pocket also creates new launch points to help widen tight windows.
The below play is a simple swing pass to his running back but it’s a quality example of Willis understanding where the ball must go pre-snap. Imagine CMC catching this pass.
What we learned
Willis has all the traits to be the best quarterback from the 2022 draft class. There are concerns over his decision-making against pressure. I also worry about the situation he lands in.
Young quarterbacks must be supported with sound infrastructure that is ready to nurture the future of their franchise.
“If he has to start Day 1, you’re talking about a ton of factors and variables that he’s going to have to overcome,” an NFL scout told The Observer. “To be ready with the speed of the game, new verbiage, new system, like all things that all quarterbacks have to adjust to. I just always worry about that.”
We’ll keep hearing all about Willis to Carolina. The hype is real. But it remains to be seen if the situation is ideal.
