Seahawks Should Target Malik Willis As Next QB Due To High Ceiling

The Seattle Seahawks will enter the 2022 NFL Draft with the No. 9 overall pick and many expect them to take a quarterback.

While this draft class isn’t short on worthy quarterback prospects, what it is short on is a bonafide clear-cut one. There are five quarterbacks that are considered first round or fringe first-round prospects in Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, Matt Corral, Desmond Ridder and Sam Howell.

However, with there being no clear-cut No. 1 prospect, you have some mock drafts predicting Pickett to be the first quarterback taken off the board and even some going so far as to say Howell will be the first QB taken in the draft.

In other words, there’s no actual consensus on who will be the first QB taken. Regardless, the Seahawks should target Willis as their next quarterback.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound dual-threat quarterback has the highest ceiling of any of his counterparts. While Pickett may be the most pro-ready and Howell may emerge as the sleeper of this class, Willis has the skill set and ability to be the next Lamar Jackson.

As Bucky Brooks of NFL.com noted about Willis, he’s the definition of a “boom-or-bust” prospect.

“Willis has boom-or-bust potential with an intriguing set of tools that will have some coaches comparing him to Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson as a possible ‘one-man show’ at the next level,” says Brooks.

Willis’ ability to run combined with his deep-throwing prowess makes him a high-ceiling prospect. While there are clear concerns relating to his accuracy and the fact that he played at a small school, you’ll rarely come across a prospect who is perfect coming out of college.

Baltimore Ravens QB Jackson had similar concerns coming out of Louisville — hence, the reason he was drafted with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Former Bleacher Report writer and current ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller had the following to say regarding Jackson prior to the draft in 2018.

“There are concerns among NFL scouts that Jackson is a ‘one read, two read, run’ quarterback who won’t be able to make complex pro reads,” said Miller.

Despite the concerns over his “one-read” and “two-read” approach combined with his smallish frame, Jackson immediately led the Ravens to a playoff berth in 2018 after a three-season drought from the postseason. He won the MVP award as the youngest player in NFL history to do so in 2019.

The Seahawks clearly don’t have a playoff-capable roster at the moment. They have holes to fill at cornerback, defensive end and offensive tackle — three of the most important positions outside of quarterback in football.

With that being said, those are holes that can be addressed with your second-round draft picks (No. 40 and No. 41) and throughout the draft. You’re not addressing your QB situation by waiting later in the draft for one or by acquiring the Cleveland Browns’ Baker Mayfield.

You could have all three of the aforementioned positions filled, but if you don’t have a franchise quarterback, it means nothing.

Head coach Pete Carroll will be 71 years old this season, the oldest in the league. And while his current contract runs through the 2025 season, there’s no guarantee he’ll coach that long.

Drafting a quarterback such as Pickett is a safe option. But it won’t result in a Super Bowl and it likely won’t result in a playoff appearance anytime soon due to the Seahawks’ questionable roster personnel.

On the other hand, drafting a QB such as Willis may be risky — but it comes with the ultimate reward of potentially emerging as a contender.

As evidenced by the Ravens’ quick turnaround with Jackson at quarterback, a player like Willis could turn around the fortunes of a franchise — real quick.

Willis can cover up the weaknesses at offensive tackle by extending plays with his speed. As athletic as a QB like Pickett is, he doesn’t quite have that game-breaking ability that Willis possesses.

Oliver Hodgkinson of Pro Football Network goes into detail regarding Willis as the “most dangerous” quarterback in this year’s draft class.

“The Liberty QB is fast, owns an excellent short-area burst, and his change of direction is phenomenal,” gushes Hodgkinson. “This allows him to be an entertaining, electric, and effective dual-threat quarterback. Willis is elusive both in and out of the pocket, shows stellar vision as a runner, and is brilliantly creative. He’s comfortably the most dangerous quarterback in terms of mobility in this 2022 NFL Draft class.”

Carroll could run read-options with Willis, something the Seahawks would favor considering their run-heavy approach. Despite featuring Russell Wilson at quarterback, Seattle ranked just 20th in passing play percentage.

There’s no doubt Willis is perfect fit for the Seahawks. The question is, will he be there when Seattle makes their selection at No. 9?

Theoretically, the Detroit Lions (No. 2 pick), New York Giants (No. 5 and No. 7 picks) and Atlanta Falcons (No. 8 pick) could all be looking for new franchise quarterbacks.

It’s unclear how this draft will turn out, with the quarterback pecking order as unclear as ever. But even if it requires a little draft day trade magic, the Seahawks should do whatever it takes to walk away with Willis as their first-round pick.