The Detroit Lions will host another quarterback on a pre-draft visit this week, as Malik Willis is coming in on Tuesday.
Whether they take one this year or not, the Detroit Lions are ramping up their pre-draft due diligence on quarterbacks this week. After news Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett will be in for a visit some time this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has reported Liberty quarterback Malik Willis is coming to town on Tuesday.
The Lions coaching staff got a close look at Willis down at the Senior Bowl in early February, and they met with him at Liberty’s Pro Day last month.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler pointed to how much homework the Lions have done on Willis a few days ago, and pointed to a visit coming. Now it’s obviously been locked in for the final week of top-30 pre-draft visits.
Malik Willis lingers as a first-round option for the Lions
Good or bad, the Lions have a lot of options with the second overall pick. Most analysts think Willis would be an incredible reach with that pick, but Fowler (h/t to Larry Brown Sports) suggested the Lions are not locked in to anything.
"I asked around and I’m told they’re still figuring that out and have not solidified what they’re going to do,” Fowler said. “They’re looking at about 6-8 different players. I believe Malik Willis is not totally off the table here, because they’ve worked at getting him in the building for a late pre-draft visit. They did a lot of homework on him at the Senior Bowl."
It’s hard to see the Lions getting a rich enough trade offer to move down from No. 2, but it’s possible. A trade up from No. 32, the final pick of the first round, is a possibility that can’t be ruled out either. A trade down or a trade up would increase the odds of Willis landing in Detroit.