With franchise legend Matt Ryan now in Indianapolis, what is the future of the quarterback position for the Falcons?
The deal has prompted several draft gurus to predict that the Falcons will go with a QB in this month's draft.
Among those who see such a move coming to pass is NBC Sports' Peter King, who has the Falcons taking intriguing Liberty QB Malik Willis with the eighth overall pick in a mock top-10 published on Monday morning.
According to King, the Falcons and second-year head coach Arthur Smith could take their time developing Willis, who grew up in the Atlanta area, while turning over the reins to veteran Marcus Mariota for the upcoming season:
Lots to be concerned about here, because Willis needs a redshirt year under a smart QB coach like Arthur Smith, and he needs to be schooled in working his progressions most importantly. But Smith is a patient teacher, and he won’t need to play this year with Marcus Mariota in the saddle for at least 2022. There’s something about Willis’ fit. He’s a local kid from Roswell High (23 minutes from downtown Atlanta), teammates love him, very positive, and he has a big arm. Owner Arthur Blank could view him as a perfect long-term pilot of his franchise. I’m fascinated with the prospect of this.
Willis coming off the board in the top 10 would be something of a minor surprised, but his stock seems to be steadily climbing in recent weeks, particularly after he turned heads with his impressive athleticism and howitzer right arm during his pro day workouts.
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Quarterback has long been a position of stability for the Falcons in recent decades, first with Michael Vick and then upon drafting Ryan soon after Vick's unfortunate premature exit.
Willis, 23 in May, started his career at Auburn but later transferred to Liberty under head coach Hugh Freeze, who had previously coached at Ole Miss. After seeing scant playing time with Auburn, Willis got his chance at Liberty and broke out in a big way in his two years there, accounting for 47 passing touchdowns and 29 more on the ground, along with 18 interceptions, in 23 starts.
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