LYNCHBURG, Va. — Liberty quarterback Malik Willis impressed a college pro-working day file 60 NFL coaches, scouts and executives from all 32 groups with the arm strength and athleticism that has him projected as a initial-spherical draft decide on.
Willis was especially amazing Tuesday with an improvised strike that traveled 65 yards in the air, with no time for the 22-year-previous to established just before launching the bomb.
But what seemed to most impress Willis, who claimed he came into the working day without the need of any ambitions or expectations, occurred the evening in advance of whilst getting supper with Pittsburgh Steelers mentor Mike Tomlin.
“I’m like, ‘Mike Tomlin’s ingesting rooster wings?'” Willis reported in amazement after a session that bundled 70 scripted throws. “Which is what you want. I mean, he is a ordinary dude.”
Tomlin, whose team has the 20th choose in the April 28 draft, was one particular of two head coaches in attendance. The other was Carolina coach Matt Rhule, whose group has the sixth select.
Rhule and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo spent most of Willis’ 70 scripted plays standing in 10 to 15 yards of the quarterback. Carolina’s Scott Fitterer, a person of 4 general professionals/executives in attendance, was not much at the rear of.
The other general supervisors/executives were Atlanta’s Terry Fontenot, Pittsburgh’s Kevin Colbert and Washington’s Marty Hurney.
Carolina and Atlanta came up limited very last 7 days in trying to trade for Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, who finally went to Cleveland.
So both of those teams are in the market for a quarterback, even nevertheless Atlanta signed Marcus Mariota right after buying and selling Matt Ryan to Indianapolis and the Panthers continue to have Sam Darnold less than deal.
Washington also stays in the market place regardless of investing for Carson Wentz, as does Pittsburgh regardless of signing Mitch Trubisky in absolutely free company.
None show up to be prolonged-phrase remedies. Willis and Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, who held his pro working day Monday, could be that. They appear the most probably signal-callers to go in the to start with spherical, most likely the prime 10, of what is perceived as a draft with a weak quarterback course.
There was almost nothing weak about Willis’ pro working day, which drew fewer than the 120 observers originally expected immediately after totally free agency reset the quarterback market place.
The ball exploded off his hand, as many coaches preferred to see firsthand. No participate in was extra extraordinary than the 65-yarder on which Willis took the snap from center, dropped again, scrambled to his right, reversed his discipline to the left and then strike his receiver in stride at the target line.
The throw drew smiles from coaches like McAdoo. It drew applause from teammates and spouse and children members.
Willis responded by sprinting down the subject to hip bump his receiver in advance of finishing off the session with a number of red zone throws.
“What did you believe of that?” Liberty mentor Hugh Freeze stated afterward.
The improvisation and toss supported every thing Freeze has been telling NFL teams for months: that Willis has the talent to be a star in the professionals even though he did not constantly encounter major-amount opposition at Liberty.
When requested by three groups previously in the working day what Willis essential to improve on, Freeze cited “truncated dropbacks” that at moments toss off the timing on performs.
But in conditions of uncooked means and the athleticism to improvise as he did on the 65-yarder, Freeze reported there’s not an NFL crew that couldn’t use Willis based mostly on the quarterback safety he saw in the playoffs.
Freeze observed that Willis produced plays at Liberty “exactly where guys all-around him aren’t apples to apples” with the opponent in phrases of talent. He stated Willis is not going to have complications picking up an NFL playbook or with football IQ.
The pro working day also showcased what Freeze sees each and every working day in follow, that Willis knows how to get pleasure from himself even though currently being productive.
“I try to normally go out and have exciting,” Willis stated. “This is a kid’s video game, and we are attempting to get paid performing it. That is neat in itself.”
Willis didn’t take part in any drills other than throwing. Asked why he didn’t operate the 40-garden dash, he smiled and explained, “I am speedy.”
“If I ran the 40 it would be awesome, but it was no level,” reported Willis, who reportedly ran the 40 in 4.37 seconds as a sophomore at Auburn. “I would have just proved that I am rapidly. And if you currently imagine I’m quickly and then I ran fast, then I failed to genuinely do anything.
“But I am quick.”
Willis also is brief-witted. He showed that when requested what it can be like to have so numerous individuals nationally talking about him on tv and social media the past handful of months.
“They be bored,” he mentioned. “I swear they’re bored. The countrywide highlight, it really is form of bizarre. It really is like, ‘Hey, you treatment additional than some persons I know care.’ I’m like, ‘Dang, you act like we are cousins.'”
