Who Does Falcons Prospect Malik Willis Think is No. 1 QB in NFL Draft? Malik Willis

“Somebody’s always gonna think you’re trash,” Willis says. “Everybody’s gonna have an opinion of you, so if you focus so hard on whatever everybody’s opinion is of you, you’re never gonna be happy.''

INDIANAPOLIS - Is it time to look for the heir apparent to Matt Ryan in the form of a younger quarterback in 2022? Sure.

Does this mean Malik Willis from Liberty should be on general manager Terry Fontenot's radar? Does this mean the Falcons should pull the trigger with the No. 8 pick?

Malik Willis thinks so.

Willis is certainly an intriguing prospect and now we know he's a confident one, as he has essentially announced here at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that he should be the top QB taken in the April NFL Draft.

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Robert McDuffie-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

And at the same time ... he's aware of the critics, it seems.

“Somebody’s always gonna think you’re trash,” Willis said. “Everybody’s gonna have an opinion of you, so if you focus so hard on whatever everybody’s opinion is of you, you’re never gonna be happy. I want to be happy, so I’m not gonna think about it. You can say what you want to. I’m going to let the opinion of people I trust and can respect affect me.”

Some argue that Willis is far from ready to start Day 1 in 2022. Some also argue that the Falcons also aren't a "quarterback away" from contending in the NFC South, let alone in the NFC.

But others see a Malik comp with Michael Vick, the legendary Atlanta QB.

Slot fade comes free here for Malik Willis. Lotta QBs will put a ton of air under this throw and work outside shoulder towards the sideline, away from the safety. Willis drives it on a rope, beats the safety and hits the WR in stride for a TD pic.twitter.com/QoBrMRenei

— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) February 7, 2022

Justification for Willis at No. 8? Atlanta's top offensive player could be someone on the offensive line, or, defensively, a name like LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., Michigan defensive end David Ojabo or Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.

That makes sense if the view is that Wills is a project. But there is another view that merits attention here at the Combine - and that view comes from Willis himself.