Daniel Jeremiah: Lions Drafting Malik Willis Has 'Potential of a Big Pay Off'

NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah believes quarterback Malik Willis is worth the risk at No. 32.

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah believes there is one quarterback who is worth drafting at pick No. 32 in the first round. 

In his first released mock draft, the former NFL scout has the Lions selecting quarterback Malik Willis with the final selection of the first round. 

"The Lions' situation would be perfect for Willis: Jared Goff can handle the starting duties until the Liberty passer is ready to play. I love Willis' arm strength and athleticism, but he needs to clean up his decision-making and accuracy," Jeremiah explained. "He has the most upside of the QBs in this class."

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In a draft conference with reporters on Friday, the NFL analyst believes the team should avoid targeting a quarterback unless it's the talented Willis, who worked with Detroit's coaching staff at the Senior Bowl. 

"There's risk involved with any of these quarterbacks, but he provides the upside to warrant taking the risk. If you're going to take a 'flyer' on a quarterback at the bottom of the first round, I'd sure as heck like to have a big payoff, at least as a possibility," he said. "He's that guy. When you look at the quarterbacks in this draft, he's the one with all that upside."

Jeremiah continued, "You could look at some of the other guys and say, OK, they've got a chance to be starters. But, I don't know that anybody is saying they've got a chance to be high-end starters. I think Malik Willis, while there's obviously plenty of risk, and it's why he could be there at the end of the first round, there's also the potential of a big pay off. That's the one I would kind of target, if he was there."


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John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!