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The 2022 NFL Draft is over and the top prospects have found new homes at the pro level. Overall, it was a weak draft for the quarterback position, as just one went in the first round.
The Titans used a third-round pick to take Liberty quarterback Malik Willis. Thought by some to be a potential first-rounder, Willis landed with a Titans team that didn't necessarily need a QB.
Why did Malik Willis fall in the NFL Draft? Is he worth drafting in fantasy this year?
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Why Did Malik Willis Fall in the NFL Draft?
With the 86th pick in the NFL Draft, the Titans took Willis, who was the quarterback at Liberty:
It was a surprising fall. Most analysts expected Willis to be the first quarterback drafted, but the Steelers were the only team to go QB in the first and took Kenny Pickett. Then, no team took a quarterback in the second round.
So, what happened? Teams didn't overvalue QBs. This wasn't a good quarterback class. Every player had flaws. Instead of saying "well, we need a quarterback so let's ignore those flaws," teams decided instead to just not draft quarterbacks early.
Willis is really athletic, but he struggled with his accuracy in college, completing 61.1% of his passes. He also didn't play great competition, as he was on a Liberty team that mainly played non-P5 schools. Looking at some of his games against bigger schools, we see that he had just 173 yards and three picks and no touchdowns against Ole Miss, though he did complete 73.7% of his passes with three TDs against Syracuse.
Still, concerns about his arm and his ability to progress through his reads combined with his lack of experience against bigger schools — plus his final three games in college all seeing him complete under 60% of his passes — led to his drop.
Is Malik Willis Worth Drafting in Fantasy?
No.
Willis will back up Ryan Tannehill this year and while Tannehill will be 34 this season and had his lowest touchdown percentage since his rookie year and his second-most interceptions ever, he's still locked in as the starting quarterback for the Titans this year.
Willis would be intriguing if he was pressed into action. His ability to run would make this offense tough to defend. Just a bunch of RPOs with Derrick Henry or something. That's all hypothetical. You aren't here for hypotheticals. You're here for actionable fantasy football advice. That advice is that no, you should not draft Malik Willis.
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