Malik Willis QB Liberty: Scouting Report

Overall

Malik Willis is a strong, elusive quarterback in Liberty’s RPO heavy offense. In his 4 college seasons, he played in 36 games, starting 23 of them. He is an excellent athlete with his ability to escape from pressure and make big plays with his legs.

Pass Game

Willis primarily played in the shotgun and did not show a lot of complex footwork but he does a very good job of moving away from pressure in the pocket to extend plays. He has very good velocity on his throws which allows him to fit the ball into tight windows. He has good accuracy but lacks touch on his deep and intermediate throws allowing underneath defenders to make plays on the ball.  He occasionally made very poor decisions when throwing deep down the field to try and force a big play. A majority of his passes were designed to be thrown to a primary receiver or primary side of the field which limited his opportunities to fully read the defense and find the open man. When he is pressured in the pocket, he has excellent elusiveness to dodge defenders and the size to break tackles leading to extended plays, or at times a big loss. Outside of the pocket he shows good accuracy on the run and can make very difficult throws when off balanced. He has the arm strength and improvisation skills to be an exciting play-maker in the NFL but he needs to improve his decision making and touch before he can be a consistent starter.

Run Game

Willis was used early and often on designed quarterback run plays. He has plenty of experience on read options and does a good job of following his blocks then bursting through the open running lane. He is an electrifying athlete and if put into the right system, he can be a dominant play-maker at the next level.

Last Word

Willis cannot be used in every passing scheme, but if given the right offense and tools around him, he can grow into a very strong starter at the next level. He projects best in a run heavy, RPO style offense that allows him to make plays with his legs as well as using play action to open up passing lanes. As of right now, he is a “win-with” quarterback, but with continued growth, he can eventually become a “win because of” quarterback.

One-Liner: Willis’ elusiveness, and arm strength makes him a threat as both a passer and rusher, but he needs to continue to improve his decision making and accuracy before he can be a reliable starter.

Grade: 6.7 (Solid Starting QB)

Games Watched: 2021 - Old Dominion, Syracuse, Ole Miss, Eastern Michigan

Team Fits: Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions