Oct 17, 2020; Syracuse, NY, USA; Liberty Flames quarterback Malik Willis (7) scores on a touchdown run in the first half during a game against Syracuse on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Nett/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports
While the Minnesota Vikings have extremely pressing measures to tend this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, that doesn’t stop the bossman of the team from looking forward. General Manager Rick Spielman is in charge of maintaining the team in a short and long-term sense, so his presence in Syracuse on Friday was all in a day’s work.
Spielman evidently has his eye on a shiny new quarterback.
Mock drafts are all over the place seven months before the event — no surprise there. But Malik Willis, mentioned in the Wolfson tweet, was probably the target of Spielman’s affection in New York. Depending on the mock draft flavor of the day, Willis is typically anywhere from the first-to-fifth quarterback chosen in hypothetical 2022 NFL mock drafts.
For fans exhausted by the Kirk Cousins Experiment in Minnesota, Willis — much like QB3 Kellen Mond — is the anti-Cousins. Willis is a dual-threat commodity, seemingly a comparable prospect to Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Jalen Hurts. Willis won’t win a national championship at Liberty — it’s Liberty, for God’s sake — but he will garner some of the small-school voodoo afforded to Trey Lance, Josh Allen, or Carson Wentz (before he turned terrible).
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Here’s the early scouting report on Willis via ProFootballNetwork.com:
“A dual-threat quarterback with one year of starting experience at the college level, Willis is a dynamic playmaker with both his arm and his legs. At 6’1″, he won’t be the tallest quarterback in the class, but the NFL shouldn’t hold that against him. At 215 pounds, he has an excellent build to hold up to the elevated physical rigors at the next level. That allows Willis to play the game with impressive toughness. That presents itself in multiple ways. He can hang tough in the pocket and take a hit. Furthermore, Willis demonstrates grit as a ball carrier when escaping the pocket. He is challenging to take down in the open field due to his toughness and athletic ability. Willis possesses exceptional athletic qualities. The Liberty QB is fast, owns an excellent short-area burst, and his change of direction is phenomenal. This allows him to be an entertaining, electric, and effective dual-threat quarterback. Willis is elusive both in and out of the pocket, shows stellar vision as a runner, and is brilliantly creative. In addition to his ability as a runner, Willis comes equipped with a cannon for an arm.”
It’s important to note for surface-level fans: This scouting trip by Spielman is not an insult to Kirk Cousins or Kellen Mond. Indeed, the Kansas City Chiefs are not scouting quarterbacks, but they’re likely one of the few exceptions to the rule. Standing at 0-2, Minnesota has a choice to make on the field — starting winning games and thus transform their 2021 campaign –or– allow this pivotal season to fall by the wayside, careening to mediocrity like 2016, 2018, or 2020.
If the Vikings finish somewhere in the ballpark of 7-10 to 9-8, missing the postseason — the head coach, quarterback, and maybe even general manager will be intensely evaluated or scrutinized for performance before the 2022 offseason. The Vikings probably cannot conduct a playoffs-less season and expect to have the same leadership faces intact thereafter.
And that’s why dudes like Willis are apparently in the Vikings orbit.
Cousins could lead the Vikings to a total turnaround, sprinting to the postseason and then “see what happens.” That is not too crazy to hypothesize. Then, the front office would explore an extension of Cousins, especially if the Vikings reached the Super Bowl. However, those are merely words on the page for now. Minnesota has to start winning games — or mock drafts will be fans’ primary source of entertainment.
The Vikings next three games are at U.S. Bank Stadium, a perfect spot for a season rejuvenation.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).