The Washington Commanders need a quarterback. Will Washington swing and miss on top targets such as Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson? Probably so.
The Commanders will also check in on the availability of Deshaun Watson and Derek Carr, too, but those discussions probably lead nowhere.
That leaves the 2022 NFL draft. Yes, Washington could sign a veteran like Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, or Mitchell Trubisky — all former top-three picks — but everyone would know those players are placeholders for a year, at best.
The Commanders had a large presence at last week’s Senior Bowl. General manager Martin Mayhew, top personnel executive Marty Hurney, offensive coordinator Scott Turner and quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese were among those in Mobile, Alabama, to watch six of the top seven quarterback prospects available in the draft.
One player who came away a winner was Malik Willis of Liberty. The athletic quarterback amazed scouts with his arm strength in the inclement weather and athleticism.
Bleacher Report recently previewed six prospects with rising draft stock and named some ideal landing spots for the six prospects. Willis was deemed a good fit for the Commanders.
Best Fits: Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, Pittsburgh Steelers
Very few prospects have generated as much buzz through the all-star game process in 2022 as Malik Willis (scouting report).
According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, Willis held an average ranking of 35 on big boards on January 23. On February 7—after his performance at the Senior Bowl—his ratings had gone up to 21. Essentially, Willis made a good argument to be taken in the first round.
At Senior Bowl practices, Willis impressed with his arm. ESPN’s Jordan Reid said, “he has the strongest arm of any QB in Mobile” after his performance on Day 2 of practice.
In the actual game, he showed off his wheels with 54 rushing yards on four carries.
Ultimately, Willis might be in the same boat as Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers. He has all the tools to be an NFL quarterback, but a year to learn his offensive system and adjust to the speed of the game could be beneficial.
A few teams could afford to do that. The Falcons can start Matt Ryan for one more year. The Commanders could roll with Taylor Heinicke for another season if they needed to. The Steelers could give Mason Rudolph a chance to show he can replace Ben Roethlisberger for a year.
However, all three franchises would benefit from the upside Willis brings to the table.
Willis makes sense for Washington if it fails to land a star. That would likely mean a veteran, such as Trubisky, is signed to start until Willis is ready. While the Commanders love Taylor Heinicke, he will not go into 2022 as the starting quarterback, unless there are injuries.