Titans quarterbacks coach Pat O’Hara on Malik Willis and life in the NFL for a QB

During the past draft cycle, Malik Willis was one of the more enticing quarterbacks prospects on the draft board. His combination of athleticism and arm talent seemed to fit well with the direction of the modern NFL, and with what teams are looking for at the position.

However, it was something of a surprise when the talented passer fell to the third round, enabling the Tennessee Titans to draft Willis later than many expected. Yet, that might be a blessing in disguise for the rookie, as he will enter camp with lower expectations, and might find an opportunity to develop the parts of his game that need refinement.

As many viewed Willis, learning to operate within the structure of the pocket was one of those areas. Few could deny his natural athleticism and ability, and his splash moments while at Liberty when working outside the pocket were a big reason many were excited about his potential:

On this big play against Middle Tennessee State, you see the potential from Willis in a scramble-drill situation. The defense shows pressure before the snap, with six defenders walked up in blitz posture. Liberty has two players flanking Willis in the backfield: A wide receiver releasing fast to the right flat, and the running back having a free release on an option route to the left, the Flames only have five men in protection. Even though MTSU brings five after Willis, he faces an unblocked defender off the right edge.

The quarterback makes that player miss in space, and flushes out to his right keeping his eyes downfield. That puts him in position to track the wide receiver who vacated the backfield to the right flat before breaking upfield when Willis left the pocket. An impressive throw on the move from Willis leads to a 41-yard gain.

These were the kinds of plays that drew many to his film. But there is more to playing quarterback in the NFL than life outside the pocket. There will be moments when you need to make a stick throw from the pocket to move the chains, and those were the kinds of moments that gave some evaluators pause when it came to Willis. Like this interception against Louisiana-Lafayette, where the quarterback fails to see the backside cornerback before making this throw:

Fast-forward to today, as Willis is learning about life in the NFL with the Titans. At Tennessee training camp, quarterbacks coach Pat O’Hara addressed the media on Thursday and provided a brilliant bit of analysis on the transition Willis faces to the NFL, and the importance of playing quarterback from the pocket. Thanks to Paul Kuharsky, who covers the Titans, we can see the response:

As noted, O’Hara starts at the outset highlighting how Willis’ decision-making has been “very good for a rookie.” But he also noted that, with respect to “things he hasn’t had to before” from the pocket, “his feet need to catch up with his mind.”

The coach then addressed some of what intrigued scouts about Willis. “Malik has a very strong arm and a really cool skill-set, but you can’t always rely on that all the time.”

He then finished with an analysis of how the league protects quarterbacks, provided you are still inside the pocket. Once you get outside of the pocket, the rules change. “Once you leave the tackle box, the only area that’s protected is the head and neck area. So you need to operate outside the pocket, but you need to be able to operate inside the pocket. Operating outside the pocket is not a problem for Malik.”

Willis did hit on some big plays from the pocket while in college, such as this touchdown against Eastern Michigan where you can see him fight in the pocket before tracking the deep over route from right-to-left:

But more consistency from the pocket, and tying his feet to his mind as O’Hara noted, will be critical to his development.

Plus, he has that “really cool skill-set” to draw upon as well.

Story originally appeared on Touchdown Wire