Malik Willis was a consensus first-round pick in the lead-up to the 2022 NFL Draft. It was just a matter of where he would be selected.
Willis had a seemingly wide draft range. He was discussed as a potential option for the Panthers with the No. 6 overall pick and was also frequently connected to the Steelers at No. 20 overall. There weren't many potential landing spots for him and Pitt's Kenny Pickett, but it was presumed that a quarterback-needy team would trade up for him if he slide past the Steelers at 20.
Instead, Willis went unselected in the first round, and his fall continued well into the draft's second day. No quarterbacks were chosen in the second round. Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder went ahead of him in Round 3 at No. 74 overall before the Titans finally ended his slide with the 86th overall pick.
Why did the Liberty quarterback last that long? It was apparently related to the offense in which he played during his college days.
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Why Malik Willis fell to Titans the 2022 NFL Draft
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported just after the Falcons selected Ridder that Willis' slide was fueled by the offense he ran while at Liberty. NFL teams were worried that it was too simplistic and that it may take him a while to adapt to a pro-style offense.
Everybody loves the talent, but the offense he plays in is so simple. There are questions [about] how quickly could he get acclimated to the NFL? Could it take one year? Could it take two years? That certainly has led to some of the hesitancy with him not getting selected.
Rapoport noted that there were no concerns with Willis' character or maturity. It was all about how the quarterback would translate to the NFL level.
MORE: Why Malik Willis chose to play at Liberty after Auburn transfer
Willis played at Liberty, under the direction of former Hugh Freeze. You may recognize Freeze's name from his time as the head coach of Ole Miss or from his time as Michael Oher's high school coach, as referenced in "The Blind Side."
Freeze has utilized a spread offense throughout his coaching career and employed that system at Liberty. That type of wide-open playing style isn't as common at the NFL level, so he will have to learn how to play under center more while reading the field from tighter formations.
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It's also worth noting that Willis already had his share of issues reading the field at Liberty, as noted by NFL.com's Lance Zierlein noted in his scouting report of the quarterback.
Poor field recognition and progression quickness over second half of the season.
Evidently, those concerns were enough to drop Willis to the third round. Now, he lands with the Titans and will get a chance to learn behind Ryan Tannehill and eventually prove that he can be the long-term replacement for the 33-year-old.
