After watching the 2021 NFL Playoffs, it is clear that the Minnesota Vikings need a game-changer at quarterback.
It goes without saying that the quarterback is the most important player on a football team. Superstars at the position can take their teams on deep playoff runs each and every season while others need more than a few things to go their way in order to see their team succeed.
If there has ever been more proof that a dynamic quarterback is necessary in the NFL, I would love to see it. The AFC has loads of talent at quarterback for the foreseeable future with Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen paving the way for the future.
Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow are all in the mix to be tone-setters in the playoffs for a long time. In the NFC, that is not the case. With Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady potentially leaving their current situations, there are no sure-fire quarterbacks in the conference.
We witnessed one of the greatest playoff games in NFL history during the Divisional Round matchup between the Chiefs and Bills last weekend. The two star quarterbacks put on a show, regardless of their team’s lack of defense, and made the world stop for a minute to think about just how special one player can be.
As the Minnesota Vikings look for new ways to attack the NFC and get back into the playoff conversation, they need to recognize that their current roster has a very clear ceiling. With Kirk Cousins at quarterback, they cannot advance much beyond the first round of the playoffs. That is why they should gamble on Liberty quarterback Malik Willis.
Of all of the quarterback prospects in 2022, Willis is the only player with the insane upside that could rival a player like Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson. Teams will just need to be comfortable with the learning curve.
Malik Willis can be a superstar
Gambling on traits has worked out for so many teams in recent drafts. The Bills and Chiefs traded up for project quarterbacks that are now clearly top-five quarterbacks in the NFL while consistently meeting in the playoffs. The Ravens moved up to land Lamar Jackson despite having Joe Flacco under contract and made it work.
The one quarterback in 2022 that can pay off at that level is Malik Willis – and that upside has to be worth every risk for the Minnesota Vikings after years of mediocrity. Willis has an absolute cannon of a right arm and his ability to create with his legs is nearly on par with Lamar Jackson.
He can heave the long ball with ease, a simple flick of the wrist is all it takes to push the ball down the field. A lot of his big plays in the passing game come through the middle of the field on deep posts that Willis can put behind the safety.
Willis loves to go after the home run shot – albeit sometimes a little too much – but the successful attempts make it worth it. Against a mixed bag of competition, Willis was pretty much the same guy. He racked up yards and took his chances down the field but turnovers were prevalent.
In a league that lives through the unicorn quarterbacks, there are plenty of reasons to fall in love with Malik. He can toss it from one side of the field to the other sideline on a rope for an easy score. If that doesn’t work, Willis can take off as a runner and make defenders miss in space.
He presents an exciting combination of flare as a passer and burst as a runner that will make teams pay if they pass him up. For the Minnesota Vikings, everything else is set up for a young quarterback to have some immediate success at a much cheaper cap hit.
Willis is not the perfect player. The potential of a bust is certainly there, but that should not scare teams away from him in the first round.
It might take Malik Willis a year or two to be ready
The scariest part of going all-in on a quarterback is the risk of him not panning out. There are always busts at the quarterback position and teams never seem to shake that disappointment until they hit a franchise cornerstone.
Patrick Mahomes did not start as a rookie but that did not stop him from being a superstar at such a young age. The same is true for Lamar Jackson, though he did take over the starting job at the end of his rookie season. Josh Allen struggled mightily in his first season with Buffalo but he made steady improvements as a pass and is now one of the best in the league.
Willis is going to take his lumps as a passer in the NFL. Interceptions are a big concern with his game right now but we have seen quarterbacks improve their accuracy in the early stages of their careers. If Willis does the same, he will be an MVP-level player in just a few years.
His throws tend to sail a bit and he has had some incredibly unfortunate misses on deep shots. There are a handful of inexcusable overthrows on deep routes in which the receiver would have had a walk-in touchdown.
Part of the reason for his inaccuracy as a passer is his disregard for setting his feet in the pocket. Willis loves to bail out of clean pockets because he knows his legs are so impressive. While that is a luxury, it can also be a curse. He needs to do a better job of trusting his arm and base because those are the things that can truly make him special.
Malik Willis needs to clean up his pocket presence and footwork within the pocket. Once those are fixed, he will be a dangerous signal-caller in the NFL for a long time. In the meantime, he can rely on his athletic ability to make plays to keep him afloat as a starting quarterback and develop the rest of his game.
The Minnesota Vikings would be a team to keep an eye on for Willis in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. If he falls out of the first round for some reason, they should be busy on the phones to come up and select him at the top of the second round to sit behind Kirk Cousins for a season.