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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a possible landing spot for a “playmaker” quarterback.
As Bleacher Report’s Doric Sam notes, Liberty quarterback prospect Malik Willis remains undrafted heading into the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. While Willis was projected by many mock drafts to go in the first round — many had him as the first QB selected, with some projecting within the top 10 picks — he’s now expected to be drafted early in the second round.
According to Sam, the Buccaneers are one of several “likely” landing spots for the athletic quarterback. Tampa Bay holds the first pick of the second round of the NFL draft at No. 33.
“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,” says Sam. “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.”
Willis Has Unreal Ceiling as QB
Bucs quarterback situation aside, Willis is definitely the wild card prospect of this year’s draft.
Having starred at small school Liberty, Willis thrived as a playmaker behind a porous offensive line and supporting cast. Outside of his obvious running abilities, his cannon for an arm is one of his best traits. His versatility will also enable him to run plenty of zone-read type of plays.
As Dan Schneier of CBS Sports pointed out, Willis is the definition of a “dynamic playmaker.”
“He’s not just a capable runner — he’s a dynamic playmaker who was used in a variety of ways as a rusher,” says Schneier. “We’re not just talking zone read and broken plays that he breaks off for big runs — Liberty used him on the power read in the run game. Willis broke 89 tackles in the open field during the 2021 season, the most of any player in college football including running backs, according to Pro Football Focus.”
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Why the Bucs Aren’t Likely to Draft Willis
Out of the three aforementioned teams, the Bucs are probably considered the least likely to draft a quarterback with a Day 2 pick. Both the Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans lack capable backups for Kirk Cousins and Ryan Tannehill as they enter their age-34 seasons.
While the 44-year-old Tom Brady could head to retirement — or another team — following this season, Tampa Bay just spent a second-round draft pick on Kyle Trask in last year’s draft.
There’s been no indication that the Buccaneers have already soured on the second-year quarterback.
As good as Willis is and as high as his ceiling could be, would the Buccaneers really use a second-round draft pick on a quarterback for the second straight year? They would likely have to head into the season with four quarterbacks, two of them being recent second-round picks with no experience.
Even last season, the Buccaneers went into the season with three quarterbacks on the active roster — Brady, Trask and Blaine Gabbert — with Ryan Griffin as the practice squad quarterback.
Considering the Buccaneers still have pressing needs to address at guard and defensive tackle — Tampa Bay still has yet to re-sign Ndamukong Suh — it’s doubtful Tampa Bay actually uses their No. 33 pick to select Willis.
But the idea is certainly an intriguing one.
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