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lenty of fallout is still to come from the Seattle Seahawks dealing nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos on March 8. But the biggest question left to be answered is who will be behind center for the Seahawks to begin the 2022 season.
It could be Drew Lock, who the Seahawks acquired in the Wilson trade. Or, the Seahawks could draft a signal-caller with a first-round pick Seattle also received from Denver in the trade.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller says if it’s the latter, keep an eye on Liberty quarterback Malik Willis.
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Willis Compared to Jay Cutler & Jalen Hurts
Presumably possessing Denver’s No. 9 pick in the first round after the Wilson trade, it’s possible Seattle lands their preference behind center in the draft.
Miller reports that at this time, that preference would be the Liberty quarterback.
Willis started his college career at Auburn then transferred and became the starter at Liberty in 2020. He posted 5,107 passing yards with a 62.4% completion percentage, 47 touchdowns and 18 interceptions during 23 starts at Liberty.
In addition to his strong arm, Willis is very athletic. At Liberty, he rushed for 1,822 yards and 27 touchdowns. Over his college career, Willis averaged 8.4 yards per pass and 5.8 yards per rush.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared Willis’ arm strength to Jay Cutler but his playing style of Jalen Hurts. He’s not the “most pro-ready” quarterback in the 2022 draft class, but with his arm strength and athleticism, it’s not hard to understand why the Seahawks and other teams are intrigued at the possibility of drafting Willis.
“Upside quarterback with special parts of his game, but with no guarantee they will be assembled properly into a finished product,” Zierlein wrote. “Willis uses his rare combination of elite rushing talent and a rocket-launching right arm to unlock explosive plays in two different ways. He has the arm to beat safeties to the deepest parts of the field and makes impressive throws from inside and outside the pocket.
“On the flip side, Willis’ mechanical and operational inconsistencies lead to erratic timing and accuracy, and he doesn’t throw with enough touch.”
Of the scouts at major publications, ESPN likes Willis the most. The ESPN big board ranks Willis as the No. 20 overall player, including top quarterback in the 2022 draft class.
Pro Football Focus gave Willis a similar ranking, placing him No. 22 overall and second among the class’s quarterbacks behind only North Carolina’s Sam Howell.
But the Bleacher Report scouting department has Willis as the 91st-best player in the draft class. BR’s scouting department also ranked Willis the class’s fourth-highest quarterback behind Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and Ole Miss’ Matt Corral.
Lock Is Seattle’s Only QB With Significant NFL Experience
Without Wilson on the roster for the first time since 2011, the Seahawks will enter free agency next week with only two quarterbacks signed for this coming season — Lock and Jacob Eason.
Lock is the only one of those two quarterbacks with NFL starting experience. Eason has appeared in one NFL game and threw an interception while attempting just five passes.
In three seasons with the Broncos, Lock posted a 59.3% completion percentage with 4,740 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
Last season, Lock went 0-3 with 787 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in six games. Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater beat out Lock for the Denver starting quarterback job last summer, so Lock started only three games when Bridgewater was injured in 2021.
Lock showed signs of improvement by raising his yards per pass average from 6.6 in 2020 to 7.1 in a small sample during 2021. But overall, he’s been a disappointment since the Broncos drafted him in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft.
Lock is 8-13 as an NFL starter.
If the Seahawks aren’t able to draft Willis or address a different need at No. 9, the team will likely have to upgrade quarterback either with another trade or free agency.
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