The Senior Bowl serves as the first audition for college seniors entering the NFL Draft. Every team sends down representatives to watch the prospects practice throughout the week. Both Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni were spotted on the field down in Mobile, scouting the future of their franchise.
There are several prospects the Eagles surely have their eyes on down in Alabama. Mike Tanier of Football Outsiders releases a detailed report of each practice and noted the Eagles brass was paying close attention to a certain quarterback prospect.
In his breakdown of Wednesday’s practices, Tanier pointed out that Howie and Co. were keeping an eye on Liberty quarterback Malik Willis. Here’s his entire snippet on the Liberty signal caller:
Liberty quarterback Malik Willis has the best arm in Mobile, and it’s not close. He rifles off medium-range passes, both from the pocket and on the run, with little effort. Willis doesn’t have an off-speed pitch, however, and his accuracy was scattershot on Tuesday. Still, some teams are about to have visions of Trey Lance-meets-Josh Allen dancing in their heads. Some Eagle-eyed observers noted Howie Roseman paying particular attention to Willis.“
If this report surprises you, you simply don’t know how Howie Roseman operates as a general manager.
Of all the quarterbacks entering this year’s draft, Malik Willis has the most eye opening pure talent. The strongest arm in the draft, coupled with easily the best mobility of any quarterback in this year’s class, and you have all the ingredients of a top-5 pick. There’s still a long ways to go before draft night, a lot can change between now and then. But if we’re already hearing buzz about how great Willis looks, it’s hard to imagine it won’t reach a fever pitch by April.
I still believe drafting a quarterback is the least likely scenario when it comes to addressing the Eagles quarterback situation this offseason. But if Howie falls in love with a guy like Willis, it may be more plausible to trade up in the first-round to snag him, rather than packaging a handful of picks to go get someone like Russell Wilson.
The Eagles quarterback saga will continue to be a point of emphasis all offseason. I for one, am excited to watch it play out.