INDIANAPOLIS – Malik Willis of Liberty believes he should be the first quarterback offboard in the NFL draft next month. But, he admitted, it was not up to him.
“I don’t make those decisions,” he told the NFL Combine on Wednesday morning.
And then, after a blow, Willis added dryly, “I hate this for me.”
The 22-year-old Willis could become the next NFL quarterback franchise in just a month. That doesn’t bother him.
“(Teams) will always let you know how big your position is,” he said. “I mean, you’re the face of the franchise, literally. You are the face of the city. So you have to understand everything that comes with it and make sure you do all the right things and make sure you do your job. “
In his 15-minute media interview, Willis radiated confidence through his calm demeanor and dry sense of humor.
Asked who he studied and modeled his game on, Willis quoted Michael Vic, Russell Wilson, Tom Brady and Drew Bryce – but he admitted that he had not watched much of the sport in which he excels now.
“Until high school, I didn’t even watch football that way. Said Willis. “I used to think it was boring.”
So when did you stop thinking it was boring?
“When I started to improve,” he said.
Although he is expected to be one of the first quarterbacks selected for his mobility and arm strength, Willis is still under scrutiny for his inaccuracy. He scored 61.1 percent completion in 2021. But Willis isn’t worried about criticism, some of it similar to the blows against Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen during his draft.
“Someone will always think (you’re) garbage,” Willis said. “That’s how the game goes. That’s it. I’ll just keep going. I’m not playing for their approval.
“The only one I have to prove and respect is God. I play for an audience and I don’t really care what he or she says.”
However, Willis added that he was working to improve his accuracy before the April draft, working on his legs and aligning his lower body with his throwing motion.
“There are some shortcomings in my game, maybe some inaccuracies,” he said. “It’s just from working with my feet. It’s not just from inaccuracy. They can just say I can’t throw anything.”
Willis threw 2,857 yards with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and rushed for 878 yards and 13 quick touchdowns in his second season with Liberty after a transfer from Auburn. And he admitted that he believes his hopes in the NFL are over after he left the Tigers. Instead, it thrived on the Hugh Freeze attack, throwing in 2,250 yards, 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions and 944 rushing yards and 14 quick touchdowns in 2020.
“I thought I was done,” he said. “I thought I wanted to go have fun and play my last two or three years, but now I’m here, so I’m happy.” Willis doesn’t take part in 40 yards or more, going through other tests and training at Combine but will go through throwing drills, he said on Wednesday.
Willis was mocked by the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team he met in Indianapolis, number 20 as the overall pick in Mel Cyprus’ junior modeling draft. Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert declined to speak specifically about Willis on Tuesday, citing a long tradition of not discussing individual perspectives.
In some meetings with teams, Willis said he spent time drawing plays for both the team interviewing him and Liberty’s concepts. Something that might make me nervous was natural for Willis.
“I feel very good in the explanation (the plays) and I feel really good in my understanding of the game,” he said. “… When you’re prepared, it’s not really stressful. It’s not a situation where you feel stressed. I just feel like I’m doing what I had to do.”