Eagles’ General Manager Howie Roseman seems to be impressed with Liberty quarterback Malik Willis after seeing him at the Senior Bowl. Roseman, was impressed by his mobility and the strong arm of the former Flames quarterback. This could be scary news for some Eagles fans, as it seems like they’re trying to find a replacement for Jalen Hurts already. Hurts led the Eagles to 9-8 regular season and made it to the wild card round of the playoffs. This was more than anyone expected from Philadelphia in 2021. This article will take look at the possibility Philadelphia Eagles drafting Malik Willis.
Malik Willis at Liberty
Willis led the Liberty Flames to a special season in 2020. The flames went 10-1 that season with their lone loss being against NC State by a margin of one point. They would end up defeating a tough Coastal Carolina team in their bowl game, as they finished that season ranked 17th in the nation. Willis threw for over 2,000 yards that year and had 20 touchdowns. Not to mention, Willis was also just shy of having a 1,000-yard rushing year on the ground with 944 yards. He also scored 14 touchdowns on the ground.
As for this past season, Willis posted the same impressive numbers but Liberty as a team was just not as good. Mostly because the offensive line could not protect Willis and give him more time to throw. The Flames went 8-5 in 2021 and routed Eastern Michigan in the LendingTree bowl 56-20. Willis threw for 2, 857 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also had more interceptions with 12 compared to 2020 when he only had six. Furthermore, Willis had close to 900 yards on the ground and 13 rushing touchdowns.
The Skill Set of Malik Willis
Howie Roseman is right on the money with how he sees Willis. He has a cannon of an arm and can really burn opposing defenses through the air. It is not just his arm strength that is impressive while he is throwing the ball. It is also his accuracy when throwing deep balls. He has multiple highlights where he puts these deep passes right in the breadbasket of his receivers.
Better check the ground because @MalikWillis just dropped another DIME to @Kevybo_ ‼️
TOUCHDOWN Flames! pic.twitter.com/ZwxTG92OHR
— Liberty Football (@LibertyFootball) November 20, 2021
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His short to intermediate passes are just as good as he can throw the ball on a rope to his receivers with accuracy. As college football fans know this is not the only strength of Willis. He is also a real threat running the ball. Willis has a lot of speed and can make defenders miss. He has burned many defenses running the ball throughout his career at Liberty. His legs also help him get out of trouble. He can throw with accuracy on the run and while under pressure. It is no secret that Willis could find a lot of success in the NFL with the skill set he has.
Should the Eagles Draft him?
Malik Willis is a projected first to second-round draft selection. The Eagles quarterback situation is not bad enough to draft a quarterback in the early rounds. Hurts has shown he can be successful in the NFL and does not need the loss of confidence of a highly-touted quarterback being added to the roster. If anything, the Eagles should find a later-round quarterback to take care of adding some depth at that position. If Hurts regresses in 2022, then it would be more plausible to think about drafting a quarterback early on. The Eagles should not draft Willis no matter how tantalizing he is.
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