Titans trade up to end Willis' shocking wait in 3rd round

Malik Willis' slide is finally over.

The Tennessee Titans selected the Liberty quarterback in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft after trading up to No. 86 overall in a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, who received picks 90 and 169.

Willis was projected to be the first quarterback off the board and a potential top-10 selection but instead endured arguably the most surprising slide of this year's draft.

Not only did the 22-year-old drop to the middle of the third round, he was also taken after Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 20) and Desmond Ridder (Atlanta Falcons at No. 74).

Despite having the eyes of the NFL world upon him, Willis took his long wait in stride:

The highly athletic QB put up huge numbers in two seasons for Liberty after transferring from Auburn. He finished with 5,107 passing yards and 47 touchdowns against 18 interceptions, and 1,822 yards and 27 scores on the ground.

Willis will presumably sit behind Ryan Tannehill for at least one season. Tannehill is contracted for two more seasons, but the veteran's future is in question after he regressed in 2021.

Tannehill produced 3,753 yards and 21 touchdowns against 14 interceptions during the regular season as the Titans earned the AFC's No. 1 seed. He threw three interceptions in Tennessee's upset loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.

The Titans could cut or trade Tannehill after the 2022 season and save $17.8 million in cap space while taking on $18.8 million in dead money, per Spotrac.

Scouting profile: Malik Willis

The 2022 quarterback class lacks the elite talents we've recently seen enter the league, so keep your expectations in check. Willis is the most exciting prospect in this year's crop. He has the tools to be a star at the next level, but he'll need to land with a patient team willing to build an offense around his skills. The 22-year-old is a very raw passer who can win with his legs early in his career until he gets over the challenging learning curve that comes with a jump from a smaller school like Liberty. A good coaching staff will be key to helping him improve his ability to read defenses and work through his progressions, as well as his pocket awareness. With that in mind, Willis would benefit from a situation where he's not asked to start right away.