An Atlanta native who starred at Westlake High (the same alma mater as NFL stars Cam Newton and Adam “Pacman” Jones) before transferring to nearby Roswell for his senior year, Willis began his college career at Auburn, backing up Jarrett Stidham—now of the New England Patriots—for two seasons. Willis would ultimately transfer to Liberty, rising to national prominence under head coach Hugh Freeze. He led all FBS quarterbacks in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns during his breakout 2020, leading the Flames to a 10-1 record, which included a thrilling, overtime win over ninth-ranked Coastal Carolina in the Cure Bowl. Willis earned MVP honors that game on the strength of four rushing touchdowns, a career-high for the former three-star recruit.
Measurables: 6’1”/219
School: Liberty
2021 stats: 27 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions, 2,857 passing yards, 61.1 completion percentage, 8.4 yards per attempt, 197 carries, 878 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 4.5 yards per carry, 51 sacks
Accolades: Cure Bowl MVP (2020), LendingTree Bowl MVP (2021), led FBS quarterbacks in both rushing yards (944) and rushing touchdowns (14) in 2020
Strengths: An impossibly gifted athlete blessed with elite physical traits—among them a rocket arm and breakaway speed comparable to Lamar Jackson and Michael Vick—Willis is as fun as he is talented, wowing with off-balance throws and his trademark elusiveness. A master improviser with a Mahomes-ian knack for making something out of nothing, Willis weaponizes his speed as well as any quarterback we’ve seen in recent memory, torturing opposing defenses with his maddening dual-threat skill set. He’s also a fearless leader and a universally beloved locker-room presence any team would be lucky to have.
Weaknesses: Willis took an exorbitant number of sacks last season (51 with nine of those coming in a loss to Ole Miss), a flaw made worse by his crippling tunnel vision and a stubborn refusal to give up on broken plays (an affliction commonly referred to as “hero ball”). Equally concerning are Willis’ relative lack of height (he measured 6’0 1/2” at the Combine), age (he turns 23 next month) and surprisingly poor blitz recognition. Willis appeared to regress last season (12 interceptions with a career-worst completion percentage) and only beat two power-five schools—Syracuse and Virginia Tech—in two years as a starter.
NFL comp: An absolute terror in the open field, Willis presents many of the same matchup headaches as Lamar Jackson, a prolific scrambler capable of singlehandedly taking over games.
What experts are saying
“When Willis’ legs aren’t facilitating throwing opportunities by opening up space, he’s forced to beat coverage with his eyes and accuracy, and those areas of his game to this point lag far behind his athleticism and arm strength.” – Thor Nystrom, NBC Sports Edge
“Even if Willis fails to reach his passing potential, he has the talent to produce on the ground at a level between Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson.”– Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
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