Malik Willis

Liberty star Malik Willis "lacked the signature moments" in college in the eyes of the Atlanta Falcons, which led them to target Desmond Ridder instead, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler added that Atlanta thought the Cincinnati signal-caller "showcased a more complete body of work."

"Plus, Ridder's confidence and polish in the process helped," per the report. "Coaches who interviewed him noted that the QB outlined his plans to unseat a veteran wherever he landed."

After the Falcons traded Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts, many expected them to target a quarterback in the 2022 draft despite them having signed Marcus Mariota. Ridder was the second QB off the board when Atlanta selected him 74th overall in the third round.

Willis' potential is obvious.

In two years at Liberty, he threw for 5,107 yards and 47 touchdowns and ran for 1,822 yards and 27 scores. He possesses the raw tools to thrive at the next level.

Willis is widely viewed as a long-term project, though, and a riskier bet than others in the draft class.

Ridder, on the other hand, was a four-year starter at Cincinnati. He threw for 10,239 yards and 87 touchdowns and added 2,180 yards and 28 touchdowns on the ground.

The Falcons' assessment of the two ultimately aligned with that of Bleacher Report.

Ridder was the top quarterback and the 17th player overall on B/R's final big board, while Willis was the No. 2 QB but No. 48 overall. B/R NFL scout Nate Tice's NFL comparisons drew quite the contrast as well. Tice likened Ridder to two-time Pro Bowler Dak Prescott, with Willis put in the same breath as Tyrod Taylor.

In a down year for quarterbacks, one could argue the Falcons should've taken the biggest swing. The upside of Willis far outweighs the downside of a third-round pick yielding little long-term value.

With Ridder, however, Atlanta still found a prospect who can be a genuine successor to Ryan under center.

What someone says isn't always as important as how they say it.

During voluntary team activities, reporters asked Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill how he can help third-round pick Malik Willis. His defensive response indicated he's threatened by the idea of losing his job to the rookie.

"We're competing against each other. We're watching the same tape. We're doing the same drills," Tannehill said. "I don't think it's my job to mentor him. But if he learns from me along the way, then that's a great thing."

Insert eyeball emoji.

To be fair, nothing Tannehill said was wrong. The two will be in the same quarterback room, learning the same things and competing. Nothing in his contract says he must mentor his counterpart. In the NFL, an individual plays as long as their team can't find a better or cheaper alternative. It's clear Tannehill remembers how he came into his position.

Some differences exist, though. Tannehill, a first-round selection himself in 2012, displaced 2015 No. 2 pick Marcus Mariota after Tannehill was traded to Tennessee in March 2019. The Miami Dolphins had given up on him. So, he knows what it's like to take someone's job and likely sees a similar pattern.

The way in which Tannehill responded said everything about his insecurity after the Titans chose Willis with the 86th pick.

Some may say too many are reading far too much into Tannehill's response. Jimmy Garoppolo endured a comparable situation last year when the San Francisco 49ers traded for the No. 3 pick last year, giving up two first-round selections and a third-rounder and then drafting his eventual replacement. 

"You come into this NFL career and start as the young guy. I came in, Tom [Brady] kind of showed me the ropes," Garoppolo said when asked about being a mentor on Keyshawn, Will and Zubin (h/t ESPN's Nick Wagoner). "The competition between us was awesome. It really made me grow as a rookie and a young player. Me and Trey [Lance] will mold our relationship into that. It'll happen naturally. You can't force anything. Let it come as it may."

Similar questions. Similar answers. Completely different tones.

The NFL can be cutthroat. No one denies how difficult and taxing the business aspect of professional football can be. But there's something to be said about leadership, particularly at the quarterback position, and how it permeates an organization. Quite a few current and former players had plenty to say about Tannehill's response and how it reflected poorly on his status as a team leader.

"If you don't want to mentor I get it," LeSean McCoy tweeted, "but don't call yourself a good teammate. If anything happens to you and he needs to replace you let's pray he is prepared. Winning is the only stat that matters if you are a good teammate."

Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner added, "I will never understand the 'I'm not here to mentor the next guy' mentality."

Saints cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who's not shy about making his feelings known, went as far as to say he hopes Willis takes Tannehill's job.

Then again, former Titan Jonnu Smith rightly stated that it's a competitive league. Competition should make a player better. If it doesn't, he shouldn't be in that spot. With that mind, Tannehill could have a difficult time holding off Willis depending on how the latter picks up the system and develops based on the opportunities available to him.

Willis' developmental curve is the crux of the setup.

The dual-threat option was viewed as a first-round prospect because of his talent. No one in the quarterback class presented as much upside, not even Kenny Pickett, whom the Pittsburgh Steelers chose with the 20th pick and was the only first-round signal-caller.

Willis is an elite athlete with the arm to threaten every blade of grass.

"To me, he's the No. 1 guy in the class," an AFC general manager told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "And for whatever people want to talk about in terms of readiness or all this other stuff—it was the same thing with Josh Allen, it was the same thing with Patrick Mahomes. I think people are a little short-sighted with that kid."

An NFC coordinator agreed: "He's the only one with the talent level that deserves [to be picked in Round 1]. Now, there's some holes in his game. [But] to me, he's a better prospect than Trey Lance was a year ago and a better prospect than Justin Fields was a year ago."

An AFC coordinator said, "If I had to take a quarterback this year, I would take Willis, because at least he's got the talent to get himself out of a jam when things don't look pretty."

If so many believe in Willis, why did he fall into the third round? Simple: a steep learning curve.

The comparisons provided to Pelissero are interesting, and not just because two of them involved the game's best. Rather, the timing in those scenarios could provide a template for Willis and the Titans.

Allen started out of the gate. But Mahomes and Lance barely played during their rookie seasons. Even in Allen's case, he needed years of guidance while playing in the same system to fully harness his capabilities.

Tannehill shouldn't be worried that Willis will take his job at the onset of camp because the likelihood of that is basically nil. Willis needs time to adjust. While that is true of all rookie signal-callers, Liberty's offense under the direction of head coach Hugh Freeze did Willis no favors.

The Flames didn't have talent around Willis. The scheme wasn't comparable to nearly anything in the NFL. Pocket pressure forced him to make things happen far too often. Willis even struggled to make the correct reads and decisions. Everyone sees his potential but understands he's a work in progress. That makes Willis the class' most intriguing quarterback prospect, as an NFC coach told Pelissero:

"If there's any of them that you're going to look back and say he turned into a really difference-making player at the position, the one guy that has a chance to do that is probably the Liberty guy. But there's also a chance that he just doesn't develop as a passer the way he's going to need to and he flames out. He's got a wide range of ways that his career could go. But he's a guy that you see some special plays on tape with, stuff you can't coach—off-schedule production, extending the play. He's an outstanding runner. He'll be a top-five runner, maybe a top-three runner at the position from day one. And then he's got all the arm in the world. It's just going to be about whether he can hone that in and learn to play the way a team's going to need him to play in the pass game, just in terms of decision-making and playing fast."

Willis landed in one of the best possible situations, even if the same can't be said for Tannehill. Willis won't have to deal with the pressure of being a first-round pick and face of the franchise. He won't be thrust into the lineup. He can sit back, take his reps and learn, even if the veteran in front of him isn't eager to help.

Tennessee offensive coordinator Todd Downing could tailor portions of the offense to Willis' skill set and take advantage of his athleticism and strong arm as early as training camp. The Titans can sprinkle in run-pass options and designed packages to get Willis on the field. As he learns and grows, Willis can work his way into a bigger role, specifically a starting opportunity.

Willis' growth potential is enormous. Every season, the importance of quarterbacks working off-platform and outside of structure becomes more important. Willis is special in that regard. But his upside is only half the equation.

Tannehill's time is running short.

The 10-year veteran will turn 34 in July, and his contract only runs through 2023. If Willis shows promise this season—on the field or in practice—the organization can release Tannehill next offseason and save $17.8 million, per Over the Cap. If it waits until after June 1, that figure will balloon to $27 million.

Tannehill deserves credit for providing consistency and stabilizing the franchise. Even so, the Titans' trajectory plateaued because they don't feature the caliber of quarterback play needed to compete with the AFC's best, no matter how many wins they rack up in the regular season.

Running back Derrick Henry is the star of the show. Willis could provide something unique alongside the game's premier workhorse as yet another running threat who can bring extra defenders into the box and then throw over the top in play action.

The Titans lack dynamic traits. Willis can bring those. He simply needs time. As such, Tannehill knows his time is limited, and he reacted like someone who already knows his fate.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.

The 2022 NFL draft has been a wide-receiver party thus far, potentially at the expense of the prospects tasked with throwing to those wideouts. 

For the first time since 1996, only one quarterback—Pittsburgh Steelers first-rounder Kenny Pickett—was selected in the top 70 picks. 

Considering that three of the past four drafts featured four first-round quarterbacks—equal to the number of signal-callers that came off the board in the first three rounds this year—we're looking at one hell of an indictment on this year's quarterback class. 

In the most pass-happy, quarterback-oriented era in NFL history, you've got to be a historically bad class to receive this much neglect in the early rounds. 

And indeed, these guys all have their flaws. 

Pickett, who went 20th to Pittsburgh, has small hands and can be extremely jittery in the pocket. Atlanta Falcons No. 74 selection Desmond Ridder has a slight frame and accuracy concerns. Tennessee Titans No. 86 pick Malik Willis, who many thought could be a top-10 selection, is a project who will need to become far more consistent at the pro level. And Carolina Panthers No. 94 selection Matt Corral lacks the measurables or polish you want to see in a potential starter. 

The only other passer who was frequently in Day 1 or Day 2 conversations leading up to the draft is North Carolina product Sam Howell, who requires development, lacks ideal height and may run into issues with his mechanics. 

I know, I know. Tell us how you really feel, Gagnon. 

But there's more to this. The reality is that in a lot of other years, even this class might have garnered more love on the draft board. In this case, we're looking at a rookie passer class that has been victimized by the aforementioned recent quarterback gorge. 

At least three quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the previous six drafts. Looking more recently, nine signal-callers were selected in the first two rounds of the past two drafts alone. Eight of the first-round QBs coming off their rookie or sophomore season—Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert—clearly possess some or a lot of promise. 

That's a quarter of the league's starting quarterback inventory right there. 

Another factor to consider is that the veteran quarterback carousel has been spinning more violently than ever. The Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all looked like obvious potential early round quarterback selectors at various points this offseason, but Indy brought in Matt Ryan, Denver traded for Russell Wilson, Seattle at least got Drew Lock back for Wilson, Washington acquired Carson Wentz and Tom Brady famously balked on his retirement in Tampa. 

The Colts and Seahawks might have still been in on quarterbacks, but neither of those teams is known for making rash draft decisions. While the Detroit Lions shouldn't give much more leash to Jared Goff, it's easy to see why they might want to focus on other positions with Goff owed more than $30 million in 2022. 

Then there's the fact said carousel hasn't even stopped spinning. If teams entered this event under the impression Baker Mayfield and/or Jimmy Garoppolo could still be had at reasonable rates, why swing the bat on an iffy quarterback prospect even when the draft value might be there? 

The Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers did not help this quarterback class by holding onto Mayfield and Garoppolo, respectively, throughout Thursday and Friday. 

Still, the Jameis Winston-quarterbacked New Orleans Saints haven't bitten at all yet, the Falcons waited until Round 3 with Marcus Mariota in their QB1 slot, and a Panthers team putting most of its eggs in Sam Darnold's basket didn't appear to be in much of a rush to bring in competition before taking Corral late on Day 2. 

Some of those teams may have been thinking about Mayfield or Jimmy G. Some might have also been considering 2023. 

Led by Ohio State's C.J Stroud and Alabama's Bryce Young, next year's quarterback class looks like a lot of fun. The cannon-armed Stroud destroyed the Big Ten as a sophomore in 2022, while the polished Young won the Heisman Trophy in his debut season as a starter in the SEC. 

Beyond those two, there's plenty of other intriguing options. There's the physically awesome DJ Uiagalelei out of Clemson, former popular 2022 No. 1 mock pick in Spencer Rattler from South Carolina, and dual-threat bomber Anthony Richardson out of Florida is worth keeping an eye on, too. And those three are just the short list beyond the two-man top tier.

It's possible that for the first time in world history, NFL teams are exhibiting some patience this week. It helps that a lot of teams aren't set to give up on their current quarterbacks just yet. Additionally, there are still some interesting vets out there, and—maybe most critically—this quarterback class isn't much to get excited about.

The Tennessee Titans hope they found their quarterback of the future with the selection of Liberty's Malik Willis with the 86th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft on Friday in Las Vegas.

Although Willis was firmly on the draft radar throughout his final season with the Flames, his stock started to soar thanks to his strong performance during Senior Bowl week.

The 22-year-old Atlanta native, who started his college career at Auburn before transferring to Liberty in 2019 for a shot at more consistent playing time, features a combination of arm talent and playmaking ability with his legs that perfectly fits the modern NFL play style.

He's still a work in progress, but the upside is obvious. Here's a glimpse at how the Titans' depth chart shapes up following his arrival:

QB: Ryan Tannehill, Logan Woodside, Kevin Hogan

Willis played 23 games across two seasons with the Flames following the transfer. He completed 62.4 percent of his throws for 5,107 yards (222 per game) with 47 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He added 1,822 rushing yards and 27 scores on the ground.

The key question is how long it will take for him to translate his jaw-dropping skill set into high-level production against NFL defenses.

Bleacher Report's Nate Tice described him as "more of a toolsy player than a viable starting NFL quarterback at this point in time" but noted there are a lot of things to like in his predraft scouting report:

"Willis is an athletic and tough quarterback who can create plays out of structure with his legs and arm. He has average height but a good build and has no qualms about taking repeated hits throughout a game. He's a major weapon on designed quarterback runs.

"When Willis is in rhythm, his arm strength pops off the screen. He throws a catchable deep ball and can drive intermediate throws into tight spaces. When he's able to anticipate throws—usually on the outside or on RPOs—he flashes good accuracy. Willis is able to easily break a defense's contain with his agility and burst, and he has the ability to flip his hips and change arm angles when throwing on the move while also remaining accurate."

Those traits are basically a shot-for-shot breakdown of what it takes to become an ideal modern QB, as illustrated by the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen and Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert, among others.

Bleacher Report's Scouting Department listed Willis as the No. 2 quarterback in the class behind Desmond Ridder, ranked 48th overall.

Willis must become better at reading defenses and using all sectors of the field in the passing game, but his long-term potential makes him an intriguing addition.

Regardless of what happens during his rookie year in Tennessee—he'll likely begin his pro career as a backup—this is a pick based on the long-term outlook. If he develops quickly and ends up finding stardom quicker than expected, that's merely a bonus.

The Titans are placing a bet that the highlight-reel moments he produced throughout college will eventually become his norm in the NFL, too. It's not a guarantee that will happen, but it's hard to argue against taking a chance on his type of talent.

Former Liberty quarterback Malik Willis is the biggest name remaining on the board after he wasn't selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday.

A team will likely land a gem on Day 2 if they pick Willis. But the question is who will take a chance on him as the draft rolls on.

The teams at the top of the second round have veteran quarterbacks in place already, but picking Willis would secure their future under center while giving him time to develop.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans don't have a pressing need to select a quarterback, but any of them would be wise to snag Willis in preparation for life without their current starter.

If Willis gets past those teams, the prime position for him to get drafted would be with the Seattle Seahawks, who own the 40th and 41st picks. After trading Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos this offseason, Seattle is a team in transition. Drew Lock clearly isn't the long-term answer at quarterback, so the Seahawks will likely be looking to use one of their second-rounders on Willis.

But just two picks after the Seahawks sit the Atlanta Falcons at No. 43. Atlanta traded veteran quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts and brought in Marcus Mariota as a placeholder. The Falcons will be sweating it out to see if Willis falls to them, or they can trade up to try to jump ahead of Seattle. Willis would be worth the gamble as Atlanta's rebuild continues.

The lowest Willis would fall will likely be the Detroit Lions at No. 46 or the Washington Commanders at No. 47. Both teams have veterans in place in Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, respectively, but neither of those players represent long-term building blocks. Willis would solve that problem for either franchise.