Getty Malik Willis was the surprise of the NFL draft.
Heading into day two of the NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks were mentioned as a possible landing spot for Liberty quarterback Malik Willis. Instead, the Seahawks opted to pass on Willis and the other available quarterbacks in favor of Minnesota pass rusher Boye Mafe and Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III. Wynn Bet’s Joe Fann criticized the Seahawks for drafting a running back so early.
“The Seahawks are so predictable,” Fans noted on Twitter. “I get why they drafted a RB, I just deeply disagree with the decision.”
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Seahawks had done a “lot of work” on this quarterback class. Rapoport later added that the team’s thoughts about the current quarterback class was revealed.
“…I wondered before the Seahawks two picks what they really thought of the QBs. … and then we found out,” Rapoport tweeted after Seattle twice passed on a quarterback in the second round.
Walker put up strong numbers last season at Michigan State notching 263 rushes for 1,636 yards and a whopping 18 touchdowns for the Spartans in 2021.
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The Seahawks Are Clearly Not High on the 2022 QB Class
There was some thought that Seattle could consider taking Desmond Ridder or Matt Corral in the second round. Prior to the draft, ESPN analyst (and noted Seahawks fan) Mina Kimes pleaded with Seattle to take Willis. Heading into day two, Kimes made the case to Seahawks general manager John Schneider to draft Willis.
“Please, for the love of God, draft Malik Willis,” Kimes noted on the April 29 edition of “NFL Live.” “…He is the only quarterback in this class with special, special traits… Yes, he’s got a lot of work to do in terms of processing and running a pro-style offense, but he has time. You have time, no one expects you to be good this year. So, draft the fun, exciting quarterback, so the Seahawks can be entertaining on Sundays. I beg you.”
The Athletic’s Ben Baldwin seemed puzzled at not only the Seahawks decision to pass on Willis, but the fact the team took a running back instead.
“Malik Willis fell to the Seahawks at pick 41 and they took a running back instead,” Baldwin said on Twitter.
The Seahawks Were Not on Walker’s Radar
The move even surprised Walker himself who did not expect to be selected by Seattle. The Seahawks’ selection of Walker indicates that Chris Carson’s recovery may not be as far along as the team hoped heading into the offseason.
“Kenneth Walker III said he spoke with the Seahawks at the combine and had a follow-up Zoom call with RB coach Chad Morton, but Seahawks weren’t really on his radar,” The Seattle Times’ Adam Jude tweeted on April 29. “‘I am very surprised. But at the end of the day it’s a blessing to be on this team.'”
Not everybody was against the Seahawks selections in the second round. Seahawks Draft Blog’s Rob Stanton noted he was a “big fan” of Seattle snagging Mafe and Walker in back-to-back picks.
“Big fan of those two picks for the Seahawks,” Stanton tweeted. “Boye Mafe has everything needed to be a big-time pass rusher. Kenneth Walker carried MSU and was one of the best players in CFB last year. They added value here. Great pair of picks.”