Could the Detroit Lions decide to grab their quarterback of the future when they are on the clock with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft?
Though most still believe the Lions will go in a different direction with the No. 2 pick, there is a growing belief that they could select QB Malik Willis if EDGE Aidan Hutchinson is not available.
One person who does not believe the Lions should Willis is ESPN NFL Draft guru, Mel Kiper.
Here is everything Kiper had to say about the Lions potentially selecting Willis, or another QB with the No. 2 pick.
From Detroit Free Press:
“I would say no on the quarterback, because the quarterbacks for me, you go by your rankings are 18, 19, 21, 28, so if you’re picking in the top 10 it’s way too rich for me,” Kiper said.
“I just talked to some of my friends in the league who don’t need quarterbacks, but they don’t have quarterbacks ranked in the top 10, either,” Kiper said. “But it only takes, obviously, the teams that need quarterbacks to believe that.”
“Is eight (to the Atlanta Falcons) too high for Malik Willis after (his pro day) and after the way he — obviously he interviews unbelievable,” Kiper said. “He’s got the rocket arm. I compared him (on Tuesday) to, he’s kind of a right-handed version of Michael Vick in a lot of ways, so I could see that. I could definitely see Carolina at six, Atlanta at eight, Seattle at nine taking Malik Willis.
“He would be the one because you’re rolling the dice on talent, you’re betting on the talent and that’s what’s happened with Josh Allen, with Justin Herbert, talent has won out. They weren’t the first quarterbacks taken. Allen was the third (in the 2018 draft), Justin Herbert was the third (in 2020) and they’ve been better than the guys, a lot better than the guys that went ahead of them because of talent. They were a little raw, but they had great talent. Same thing with Malik, so I could see that happening.”
Nation, would you be ok with the Lions taking Malik Willis at No. 2 in the 2022 NFL Draft?