INDIANAPOLIS – Liberty quarterback Malik Willis has emerged as one of the top prospects in this NFL Draft class by studying the greats at his position. He has followed the likes of Michael Vick, Russell Wilson, Tom Brady and Drew Brees, incorporating their games into his own.
But that wasn’t always the case for Willis. In fact, he didn’t have much interest in football at all.
“I used to think it was boring,” Willis said Wednesday at the NFL Combine.
So, what changed?
“When I started getting better at it,” he said.
Willis threw for 5,117 yards and 47 touchdowns as Liberty’s starting quarterback the last two seasons. He also scored 27 rushing touchdowns while leading the Flames to a 10-1 record in 2020 and 8-5 mark last season.m The 22-year-old Willis helped establish Liberty’s football program just two years into its FBS arrival.
Now, Willis is considered a dynamic dual-threat draft prospect who’s drawing plenty of attention. He’s one of the very best athletes at quarterback in this class and boasts top arm strength as well. But Willis has also drawn concern from NFL scouts over his accuracy. He completed 61.1% of his passes and threw 12 interceptions last season.
Willis sees his accuracy as a work in progress as he seeks to improve his throwing mechanics.
“I mean, I used to just throw it however I wanted to,” Willis said. “I got to Liberty and they made me focus on every day, something to get better at. I feel like it really helped, even now in this process.”
There’s no clear consensus top quarterback in this class, and it’s also uncertain which teams will be looking to draft their next franchise arm. Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett and Mississippi’s Matt Corral will be considered along with Willis among the top quarterbacks available in the draft.
What Willis boasts that Pickett and Correl cannot match is the considerable upside and room for improvement. He also now has a passion for football that wasn’t there before.
“I’m just out here trying to get better,” Willis said.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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