The Washington Football Team would probably prefer to add a veteran quarterback this offseason, but landing someone like Russell Wilson or Derek Carr is still likely a longshot. That means Washington will likely look to the 2022 NFL draft to find its quarterback of the future.
Yes, Washington’s history of first-round quarterbacks hasn’t been great over the years, but at some point, one will work out, right?
Early mock drafts have Washington selecting Matt Corral of Ole Miss and Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh. Now, another name enters the conversation.
In his first mock draft since the NFL season ended, Mel Kiper of ESPN also has Washington picking a quarterback at No. 11. In Kiper’s mock, his first quarterback doesn’t go off the board until No. 11.
His pick? Malik Willis of Liberty.
Here’s Kiper’s assessment of Willis to Washington:
Time for the first quarterback off the board. You might be surprised that it’s Willis, but you really shouldn’t be. He was in the QB1 mix all fall before he faded a little bit in the last stretch of the regular season. The more tape I watch of his past two seasons and the more I talk to evaluators in the league, the more I like him. Put simply, Willis is the most talented quarterback in this class. He didn’t always get to show that at Liberty, which didn’t have much NFL talent around him. (He was sacked an astounding 51 times in 2021.) This is a dual-threat signal-caller — he rushed for 1,822 yards and 27 touchdowns over the past two seasons — with a powerful arm. I’m really excited to see him compete against the other top QBs in the Senior Bowl in a couple weeks.
Like Denver, Washington could be in the veteran QB market, but I like the fit with Willis. Washington can’t go into the season with Taylor Heinicke as the starter.
There is a lot to like about Willis. And if we go back into Washington coach Ron Rivera’s past, he picked a quarterback with a similar skill set to Willis all the way back in 2011. No, we aren’t comparing Willis to Cam Newton, that’s unfair at this point, but he offers the same type of dual-threat ability as Newton.
Washington must be careful forcing the quarterback pick in the first round just because it needs a quarterback. You have to either take the best talent, and that’s arguably Willis, or have a clear plan with any of the other players such as Corral or Pickett.