LYNCHBURG, Virginia. Liberty quarterback Malik Willis impressed a school record among 60 NFL coaches, scouts and executives from all 32 teams with arm strength and athleticism that made him a first-round draft pick.
Willis was especially impressive on Tuesday, landing an impromptu shot that flew 65 yards in the air and the 22-year-old had no time to prepare to launch the bomb.
But what seemed to impress Willis the most, who came that day with no goals or expectations, happened the night before during a dinner with Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.
“I’m like, ‘Is Mike Tomlin eating chicken wings?’ Willis said in amazement after his session, which included 70 scripted throws. “This is what you want. I mean he’s a normal dude.”
Tomlin, who has the 20th pick on April 28, was one of two head coaches in attendance. The other was Carolina coach Matt Rule, who has the sixth pick.
Rule and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo played most of Willis’ 70 scenarios while standing within 10–15 yards of the quarterback. Scott Fitterer of Carolina, one of the four general managers/CEOs in attendance, was not far behind.
Other general managers/executives were Terry Fontenot of Atlanta, Kevin Colbert of Pittsburgh, and Marty Hurney of Washington.
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Last week, the Carolinas and Atlanta failed to trade Houston quarterback Deshawn Watson, who ended up moving to Cleveland.
So both teams are looking for a quarterback despite the fact that Atlanta signed Marcus Mariota after trading Matt Ryan to Indianapolis and the Panthers still have Sam Darnold under contract.
Washington also remains in the market despite a trade for Carson Wentz, as does Pittsburgh despite signing Mitch Trubisky as a free agent.
None of these are a long term solution. Kenny Pickett of Willis and Pittsburgh, who spent his professional day on Monday, could be. They seem like the most likely first-round picks, perhaps in the top 10 of what is perceived as a weak quarterback class draft.
There was nothing weak about Willis’ professional day, which drew fewer than 120 observers than originally expected after the free agents dumped the quarterback market.
The ball came off his hand, as several coaches wanted to see. No game was more impressive than a 65-yard throw in which Willis snapped from center, rolled back, swerved right, flipped his field to the left, and then hit his wide receiver on the goal line on the run.
This shot brought smiles from coaches like McAdoo. This drew applause from teammates and family members.
In response, Willis ran across the field to hip his receiver before ending the session with several shots into the red zone.
– What do you think about it? Liberty coach Hugh Freese said later.
The improv and throw confirmed everything Freese had been telling NFL teams for months: Willis has the talent to become a star among the pros, though he hasn’t always faced top-level opponents in the Liberty.
When asked by the three teams earlier in the day what Willis needs to improve, Freese cited “truncated padding” that sometimes throws off time in games.
But in terms of raw ability and athleticism to improvise like he did on the 65-yard throw, Freese said there’s no NFL team that couldn’t use Willis because of the quarterback defense he saw in the playoffs. .
Freese noted that Willis played at the Liberty “where the guys around him are at odds with the opposition in terms of talent.”
Professional Day also showed what Freese sees every day in practice, that Willis knows how to have fun while being productive.
“I try to always go out and have fun,” Willis said. “It’s child’s play and we’re trying to get paid for it. That’s cool in and of itself.”
Willis did not participate in any exercises other than throwing. When asked why he didn’t run 40 yards, he smiled and said, “I’m fast.”
“If I ran 40 kilometers, that would be nice, but it didn’t make sense,” said Willis, who reportedly ran 40 seconds in 4.37 seconds as a sophomore at Auburn. “I would just prove that I am fast. And if you already think that I’m fast, and then I ran fast, then I really didn’t do anything.
But I’m fast.
Willis is also quick-witted. He showed it when asked how it feels to have so many people across the country talking about him on TV and social media over the past few months.
“They are bored,” he said. “I swear they’re bored. National attention, it’s kind of weird. It’s like, “Hey, you care more than some people I know.” I’m like, “Damn, you act like we’re cousins.”