Panthers’ Malik Willis dilemma: The NFL Draft’s boom or bust talent
By Brian Emory
Carolina Panthers could take the Josh Allen approach with Malik Willis
Whichever team selects Malik Willis would be smart to place him on a trajectory similar to the approach the Buffalo Bills used with Josh Allen.
When the Bills drafted Allen in 2018, they knew there would be some growing pains. The player and the organization took their lumps, and the franchise always had a clear plan in place for the type of player they wanted him to be.
Now, he’s one of the best players in the entire NFL.
It is very unfair to expect Willis to turn into even half the player Allen currently is, but there are some parallels to be drawn between the two as they prepared to enter the NFL Draft. Both came from small schools and were labeled as raw prospects with elite physical traits.
Considering Willis is most likely going to require some degree of patience, is he a gamble that Matt Rhule can afford to take? Through two seasons as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, the head coach has a 10-23 record to his name and is yet to find stability at the quarterback position.
As Rhule prepares to enter a critical Year 3, he may look at Willis as too large of a gamble to take.
If Rhule is to save his job past 2022, the team is going to have to upgrade its quarterback room. Panthers brass could certainly turn to the draft in pursuit of this upgrade, but will the former Baylor man be able to exhibit the patience and development a prospect like Willis may require?