Getty Mel Kiper believes this QB is the "most talented" in the 2022 NFL draft.
Matt Ryan is still likely to be the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022, but that doesn’t mean the franchise shouldn’t start planning for the future. Ryan turns 37 on May 17 and is coming off one of the worst statistical seasons of his pro career.
The Falcons have too many needs across the roster to use the eighth-overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft to select Ryan’s replacement. His gaudy contract also means moving him on this offseason will be a challenge for general manager Terry Fontenot.
There is another option, though. Fontenot could take a flier on a quarterback outside the first round. A prospect ready to be developed as Ryan’s eventual successor. One such name has already been mentioned in mock draft circles, a QB, who one prominent analyst believes is the best at his position in this year’s class.
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Falcons Can Reboot QB Position in Round 2
In his two-round mock draft, The Athletic‘s Dane Brugler has the Falcons waiting until the 43rd pick to address football’s most important position. It will be worth the wait if Brugler’s choice, Liberty’s Malik Willis, proves to be as good as some think.
Willis is a dual-threat quarterback who can damage defenses as a runner. There are question marks about his passing chops, but ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. still calls Willis the “most talented quarterback in this class.”
Kiper’s thoughts are echoed by Todd McShay, who believes Willis is worth the risk, despite being a “work in progress.”
That’s high praise, but there’s a chance Willis still lasts until the second round, even though Kiper has him going to the Washington Football Team 11th overall. There are contrasting views to the opinions expressed by Kiper and McShay.
Among the detractors is Brugler’s fellow writer for The Athletic, Josh Kendall, who has urged caution regarding Willis: “He transferred from Auburn after two years of playing behind Jarrett Stidham. (Yes, I know Joe Burrow transferred, too.) More worrying was his 27-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio last year at Liberty. Willis is a late bloomer. He was rated only a three-star prospect coming out of Roswell High School.”
A more damning assessment is provided by Bleacher Report’s Nate Tice: “Willis is a fun player to watch with his arm strength, and he’s truly dynamic with the ball in his hands. But he will need a huge jump in polish with his pocket movements, progression on dropback concepts, anticipation on throws—especially over the middle of the field—and overall process to end up being an every-week starter in the NFL.”
It’s obvious there is a lot to like about Willis. Just like there’s also a lot to be concerned about within his game. He’s a project, but that’s something the Falcons can make room for in 2022.
Falcons Can Afford to Take a Chance
Ryan won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Not with a contract set to pay him $48,662,500 this year, per OverTheCap.com. The same source also noted how $40,525,000 of that sum represents dead money, meaning it’s not worth the modest savings to cut ties with Ryan early.
What makes more sense is for the Falcons to put a young QB behind Ryan. It would afford a gifted but raw prospect the chance to learn from a dependable veteran. If that prospect was a versatile runner and thrower like Willis, then all the better.
The Falcons are well suited to building an offense around a dual-threat quarterback, particularly in terms of coaching. Head coach Arthur Smith worked with Marcus Mariota with the Tennessee Titans.
Mariota’s read-option talents could fit with the Falcons this offseason, per the team’s Digital Managing Editor Scott Bair: “The Falcons may offer an opportunity to back Ryan up in 2022, have a package of plays designed for him to help the offense.”
Mariota isn’t the only experienced backup who has been mooted as an option for the Falcons. Mitchell Trubisky’s name has also been mentioned by ESPN Insider Jeremy Fowler.
Buffalo Bills‘ backup Trubisky, like Mariota, is another running quarterback who would fit a more versatile scheme. He enjoyed his best season as a member of the Chicago Bears in 2018, earning a Pro-Bowl nod on the watch of QBs coach Dave Ragone, who now runs the offense in Atlanta.
Ragone and Smith were also prepared to take a chance on Feleipe Franks as an undrafted free agent in 2021. Franks showed off his rushing threat last preseason:
Feleipe Franks gave him the 🖐.
📺 : @FOX5Atlanta
Since then, Smith has used Franks’ athleticism in a variety of positions, including at tight end and in the kicking game. Smith might have better luck refining Willis’ core skills and flexibility.
The Falcons need something extra on offense after Ryan averaged just 7.1 yards per completion and tossed only 20 touchdowns this season. Letting a veteran like Mariota or Trubisky offer that something extra is an option, but it would prove Fontentot and Smith are building for the future if they put a rookie in the role.