The best plan for Malik Willis
Before the clock struck 9 P.M. on Friday night in the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip, the quarterback landscape in Nashville may have changed forever thanks to the draft selection of Liberty QB Malik Willis.
The Tennessee Titans took a gargantuan chance Saturday night that could affect their future for years to come. After trading away the 90th and 169th picks to the Raiders, the Titans decided with the newly acquired 86th pick that quarterback Malik Willis was going to be a big part of their future plans.
Most draft analysts listed Malik Willis as the best quarterback in this draft class. Unfortunately for Willis teams passed on the 6’1 215 lb. junior from Liberty because he just didn’t have the refined technique to be an instant starter in the NFL.
At this point, it is crystal clear that Willis will be using his rookie year to learn and build his ability to properly play and excel at his position.
Of course, it’s not that Willis is without any hope. In fact, no quarterback had so much hype and buildup after his showing at the 2022 NFL Combine and then at Liberty’s Pro Day.
In the simplest of terms, Willis is a talented (albeit raw) quarterback with a cannon of an arm and unbelievable athletic ability that must be properly developed to the fullest potential. But who in the Titans organization could take on a task so daunting and challenging?
Enter Tim Kelly
Before being hired by the Tennessee Titans, Tim Kelly spent nearly 7 years with the Houston Texans in numerous offensive roles until being promoted to the offensive coordinator in 2019.
Under his tutelage, Deshaun Watson enjoyed continued success and even elevated his stats in 2020. During the Texans head coaching search that brought in David Culley, Watson pushed for the support of keeping Kelly as his offensive coordinator.
Maybe his most impressive feat is what he did with the offense when the Texans were forced to hold Watson out for the season with a major ongoing legal situation. Kelly was able to develop Davis Mills into an efficient starting quarterback.
Mills, the young rookie QB from Stanford finished with a 66. 9 completion percentage and broke the franchise record for most passing yards in a season for a rookie with 2,664. If you were forced to give everyone in the NFL a truth serum they would tell you he was more impressive than Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, or any rookie QB not named Mac Jones.
When it comes to bringing out the best in quarterbacks, Kelly has a golden touch.
Titans Head Coach, Mike Vrabel jumped on the chance to hire him early this February, and he even created a new coaching position just for him, and just like that Kelly was the first “Passing Coordinator” in Titans history.
The Titans’ respect for Kelly has been there for years and if Houston hadn’t denied the team permission to interview Kelly for the offensive coordinator job in early 2021, he would have probably gotten that title.
Now the two will work together just like defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and “senior defensive advisor” Jim Schwartz did in the 2021 season.
How can Kelly bring out the best in Willis?
The major point here is that Malik Willis will not play in 2022, unless due to foreseeable circumstances or in certain packages like Lamar Jackson in his rookie season.
Kelly is going to get Willis to understand that while his arm is his greatest strength, his decision-making and ball placement are crucial to his success. It’s also important that Kelly teaches Willis how to properly read a defense while in shotgun or under center.
The ability to call audibles, make better-executed throws, and anticipate his reads must be mastered in order to be the difference-maker he could potentially be. A problem Willis had in college was that he consistently had to adlib a play because of bad protection so he rarely had time to make reads or go through progressions which is a big reason why he looked inconsistent at times in games.
On the bright side, the situation Malik Willis comes into doesn’t force him to be “the man” just yet. Ryan Tannehill will be the starter for 2022 and that’s the right decision for now. This is where Tim Kelly will get to work molding Willis into a more efficient and accurate quarterback. Kelly showed the same with Watson and Mills. He understood what their strengths were and while he tuned the fundamental aspects of their game, he also encouraged them to use their natural abilities to make game-changing plays while using the proper technics.
This is the plan for Malik Willis. The film room and his playbook are where his focus must be to start off on the right foot. With time, practice, hard work, and the watchful eye and teachings of Kelly, Malik Willis could show all 31 teams that passing on him was a grave mistake.