Malik Willis New Packers Backup QB

[Joemailman]

Packers acquired him from Tennessee for 2025 7th round pick.

[Joemailman]

Ryan Wood
@ByRyanWood
s
Can confirm #Packers are trading a seventh-round pick to Titans for QB Malik Willis. A third-round pick in 2022, Willis likely will be Jordan Love’s backup.

[Joemailman]

Willis started 3 games for Tennessee in 2022 as a rookie. Very poor passing stats. Ran for 123 yards and a TD. Very mobile QB.

[red]

thats gotta suck for clifford and pratt

they were so shitty that they were replaced by a complete unknown

how was he a third round pick when he had such shitty college number (except for the huge rushing numbers)

[King Friday]

This kid might make for a great sub when the Packers need 1 yard. Brings the QB sneak into play, which you may not want to try with Love.

As a passer, he’s pathetic.

[Joemailman]

Gute to Tom Clements: "See what you can do with this guy."

Draft prospect report:

Overview
Upside quarterback with special parts of his game, but with no guarantee they will be assembled properly into a finished product. 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. Protection and receiver separation were both issues, but Willis also pressed over the second half of the season and never looked comfortable in the Liberty offense. On the pro level, additional film work and a layered, pro-style passing attack could allow for more focused reads and help him see the field faster and more clearly from the pocket. Play-callers must lean into his special talent as a runner and include called runs into the game plan. Even if Willis fails to reach his passing potential, running ability doesn't slump and he has the talent to produce on the ground at a level between Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson.

Strengths
Electrifying dual-threat ability and potential.
Frame is compact, broad and powerful.
Rare escapability and elusiveness on the go.
Finishes strong and gets what is needed on called runs.
Ran for 100-plus yards five times over the last two years.
Able to pace his release according to need.
Ability to recognize blitz and get the ball out.
Makes drive throws with twitchy hips.
Arm strength capable of winning in tight windows.
Beats safeties on deep sideline throws.
Ability to work through progressions when protected.
Wide-lens field scan on rollouts and scrambles.
Rapid mesh-point transition to throw on RPOs.
Strong hands for fluid pump, reset and launch.

Weaknesses
Set depth will get away from him at times.
Below average climbing pocket and staying throw-ready.
Drops eyes rather than standing in and delivering in the face of pressure.
Too many missed opportunities to make easy, on-schedule throws.
Allows throwing windows to close on him.
Poor field recognition and progression quickness over second half of the season.
Pressed and took unnecessary sacks.
Throwing mechanics lack repeatable consistency.
Needs to calm and settle his feet from the pocket.
Elbow drop and overstride have been culprits.
Deep balls can be rushed and a little flat.
Lack of touch greatly diminishes his margin for error as a thrower.
Ball placement causes stride breaks and adjustments for wideouts.
Accuracy plummets when scrambling.
Major struggles bringing in snaps and securing through contact in 2020.

[red]

the fact that the titans traded a former 3rd round pick after 2 seasons for nothing shows that the titans didn't think the guy had anything

i do like the idea of him coming in to the game every now and then to shake things up with his running

[smuggler]

Willis isn't ready to backup now an won't be ready for the foreseeable future. He has to learn the offense, and he's not a cerebral player so it'll take some time. I imagine they'll keep three QBs.

[CaptainKickass]

Is this an offseason Barney Fuckdoggle move?

[Sparkey]

Why is he not a cerebral player ?

[Joemailman]

Willis isn't ready to backup now an won't be ready for the foreseeable future. He has to learn the offense, and he's not a cerebral player so it'll take some time. I imagine they'll keep three QBs.

Tom Clements in the QB room this week:

[MadScientist]

Would have been nice to have this guy for the full off-season. Learning a new playbook, teammates, and needing to work on mechanics is a bit much to do during the season. Might have to keep Pratt or Clifford on the roster for a couple of weeks as well.

[Joemailman]

It will be interesting to see if Clements and MLF can harness his talent. He went from a small college (Liberty) to a really dysfunctional NFL team. He will get better coaching than he's gotten so far.

[Joemailman]

Willis was sharp in three preseason games this year, completing 20-of-27 passes (74.1 percent) for 205 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and a 104.7 passer rating. He also carried the ball 11 times for 101 yards, with runs of 10-plus yards in every game.

“It’s out of my hands,” Willis said at the conclusion of the preseason. “I mean, more than anything, control what I can control as far as that goes. And just put good things on tape.”

While he played well, he was beaten out by Will Levis and veteran Mason Rudolph.


“That decision (to keep two or three quarterbacks on the active roster) isn’t necessarily related to their play is the point to make,” Titans coach Brian Callahan said. “Whatever we decide to do there, it’s probably based on whatever else we need to do on the roster, not necessarily just their play.”

This preseason, 53 quarterbacks dropped back to pass at least 30 times. Willis ranked second in completion percentage, sixth in yards per attempt and eighth in passer rating.

Meanwhile, Clifford was 47th in completion percentage (51.2), 48th in yards per attempt (4.8) and 45th in passer rating (62.8), and Pratt was 19th in completion percentage (65.7), 43rd in yards per attempt (5.1) and 32nd in passer rating (75.7).

[Fritz]

Willis was sharp in three preseason games this year, completing 20-of-27 passes (74.1 percent) for 205 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and a 104.7 passer rating. He also carried the ball 11 times for 101 yards, with runs of 10-plus yards in every game.

“It’s out of my hands,” Willis said at the conclusion of the preseason. “I mean, more than anything, control what I can control as far as that goes. And just put good things on tape.”

While he played well, he was beaten out by Will Levis and veteran Mason Rudolph.


“That decision (to keep two or three quarterbacks on the active roster) isn’t necessarily related to their play is the point to make,” Titans coach Brian Callahan said. “Whatever we decide to do there, it’s probably based on whatever else we need to do on the roster, not necessarily just their play.”

This preseason, 53 quarterbacks dropped back to pass at least 30 times. Willis ranked second in completion percentage, sixth in yards per attempt and eighth in passer rating.

Meanwhile, Clifford was 47th in completion percentage (51.2), 48th in yards per attempt (4.8) and 45th in passer rating (62.8), and Pratt was 19th in completion percentage (65.7), 43rd in yards per attempt (5.1) and 32nd in passer rating (75.7).

You're probably right Joe - this is more of a long-term thing where the Mad Scientist (not our Mad but Tom Clements) will get a season to work with this kid and hope to hell he doesn't have to step in. I'm guessing they'll then cut Cliffy and Pratt, and re-sign probably Pratt to the PS.