GREEN BAY – The Packers have made a change in the quarterback room, signing 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis in a trade with the Tennessee Titans.
Willis, 25, played in 11 games for the Titans, starting three of them. In his first two NFL seasons, he completed 35 of 66 passes for 350 yards with three interceptions. He also ran 32 times for 144 yards (4.5 yards per run) and scored one touchdown.
Here are five things you should know about the Packers’ new quarterback:
1. Willis had an efficient preseason and was Tennessee’s leading runner.
Will Levis was slated to start quarterback and spent the summer competing with seventh-year veteran Mason Rudolph for the Titans’ No. 2 job.
In three preseason appearances, the 6’1″ and 215-pound quarterback completed 20 of 27 passes for 205 yards, two touchdowns and one interception (104.7 passer rating). Willis also rushed for 101 yards on 11 carries (9.2 yards per game), making him Tennessee’s all-time rushing leader.
Willis closed the preseason on a high note, throwing two touchdown passes to receiver Bryce Oliver in the fourth quarter and leading a game-winning charge that led the Titans to a 30-27 victory over New Orleans.
2. He began his college career at Auburn before playing his final two seasons at Liberty (Va.) University.
Willis, a former three-star recruit by ESPN and Scout.com, spent two seasons at Auburn before transferring to Liberty in 2019.
Due to NCAA transfer rules, Willis had to sit out his freshman season, but eventually threw for 5,117 yards, 47 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in two seasons for the Flames.
Liberty went 17-6 during Willis’ two years as starting QB, with notable victories in the Cure (37-34 against Coastal Carolina) and Lending Tree (56-20 against Eastern Michigan) Bowls. Willis was named MVP in both games.
He was a winner in high school, too, having led Roswell (Ga.) High School to the Georgia Class 7A state game as a senior. The defensive star of that Roswell team in 2016? New Packers safety Xavier McKinney, a member of the same graduating class.
Willis completed 11 of 14 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown, along with 309 rushing yards and two scores, during his brief stint at Auburn. Before his transfer, Willis was a backup in 2018 to eventual first-round pick Bo Nix, who was drafted 12th overall by Denver earlier that year.
3. Willis was the third quarterback drafted in 2022.
Willis generated a lot of buzz leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com projected him as a first-round pick and praised Willis for his ability to challenge two tackles at once, his blitz recognition, his strength in the downfield arm and his athletic potential.
Willis was eventually selected in the third round (86th overall) behind Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett (first, 20) and Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder (third, 74). He was the Liberty’s first quarterback selected in the NFL Draft and only the ninth former Flame overall.
4. He has rare intangibles for the quarterback position.
Willis’ speed, arm talent and game reading made him one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the NCAA during his college career. His 74 touchdowns in the 2020-21 season rank him first among all FBS players.
Willis is blessed with superior arm strength – which he showed off on his 34-yard touchdown against Oliver last weekend – and can also pressure a defense with his feet. Although he did not compete in the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, Willis ran for 1,822 yards and 27 touchdowns on 338 carries (5.4 ypc) at Liberty.
In his pre-draft report on Willis, Zierlein compared the quarterback’s arm to Jay Cutler’s and his physique/playing style to Jalen Hurts’, adding that future NFL players “must take advantage of his special talent as a runner and incorporate hot running into their game strategy.”
Willis could give the Packers some interesting insight into the scout team, as they will open the 2024 season against a dual-threat QB duo: Hurts and Indianapolis’ Anthony Richardson.
5. Willis has NFL bloodlines.
His uncle, James Anderson, played 123 NFL regular-season games in 11 seasons with seven teams after being drafted in the third round by Carolina in 2006.
Anderson led the Chicago Bears with 12 tackles, including a first-quarter sack of Aaron Rodgers during the memorable final game of the 2013 regular season between the Packers and Bears, in which Rodgers scored a walk-off touchdown to Randall Cobb to help the Green Bay Packers to a 33-28 victory and the NFC North title.
Willis’ cousin Nigel Warrior played defensive back at the University of Tennessee (2016-19) before brief NFL stints in Baltimore (2020) and Seattle (2021).
