The quarterback at Liberty University played for two years after transferring from auburn. At the combine, he was measured in at 6 feet tall, and in Liberty's biggest game of the year, he threw for less than 200 yards, three turnovers, and rushed for less than three yards per carry. He ran for 900 in each of his two seasons at Liberty. He averaged more than eight yards per passing attempt and threw for more than 20 touchdown in both of his seasons as a passer. Since Kenny Pickett's disappointing 8 inches measurement at the combine, people have been obsessed with hand measurements.
He is the consensus best quarterback in this draft, and if someone high in the draft wanted a quarterback, they would talk themselves into it. He did well during his pro day. After hitting the scramble drill, he launched a 65-yard moonshot and dropped it into the receiver's arms for a touchdown. There was an audible "whoa" from those in attendance.
The top ranked quarterback in this down class is Mel Kiper, while the second-ranked quarterback is Daniel Jeremiah. The Pittsburgh Steelers are projected to pick 20th. He says they will do what it takes to get him, even if it means moving up. Many teams that need quarterbacks don't overthink this, either draft or make the Steelers pay big for your pick.
There are many less promising raw talents in the draft. The New York Giants are still messing around with Daniel Jones who they selected sixth-overall, the San Francisco 49ers used the third-overall pick on a player from the Football Championship Subdivision, and the Buffalo Bills used the fourth-overall pick on a player from Wyoming.
The position of quarterback is more important than any other on the field and teams talk about it all the time. Time and patience will be needed as it is the most difficult learning curve. I don't understand why a team with a deficiency at quarterback wouldn't look at this draft board and think about that person. The top players in the draft are some outstanding athletes. It appears only one person can make that throw from Liberty's pro day yesterday, and those are the types of plays that can change an entire team's future.
Accuracy is one of his issues outside of being 6-foot-4. Even though he completed over 60 percent of his passes in both years as a starter for Liberty, there are reasonable criticisms of his accuracy at every level of the field. Josh Allen is a two-year starter at a small school. He is a better human being and can throw a ball as far as anyone who has ever played in the NFL.
Allen missed the receiver when he threw the 80 yard pass. He never averaged more than 3.8 yards per carry in his two seasons as a starter at Wyoming. The Bills took him seventh-overall in the draft, and after some early struggles, he can now play against Patrick Mahomes in a playoff game. It took two trades for the Bills to move up in the draft, but they are now a Super Bowl contender.
There are eight teams in need of a new quarterback, and three more who should at least consider selecting him and letting him sit for the year. He might be able to get the Minnesota Vikings out of Kirk Cousins purgatory. The Detroit Lions and New York Giants have many team holes that need filling, but they have veteran quarterbacks in place as starters and their coaches would be able to take their time to smooth out the rough spots in his game. The Giants have two top-picks. They should be the team that everyone is worried about because they have never had a Black starting quarterback in franchise history.
The best situation for Wiliis would be the Steelers. He should not be able to fall into their laps. A quarterback over six feet tall who can throw an accurate 65-yard ball on the run, and is capable of putting up running-back like numbers on the ground, is named Willis. He can be signed for less than a wage scale contract. He had a contract that counted for less than $4 million against the cap during his first season.
The Steelrers are the smart team to target Willis in this draft, and the other teams are to blame if he is selected by the Steelrers and brings them back to glory.
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