Senior Bowl Quarterback Power Rankings: Malik Willis shines through the rain and wind

MOBILE — The Denver Broncos are in need of a quarterback. Again.

Fortunately, of the six signal callers at the Senior Bowl, five of them have potential first-round hype.

With the Broncos, along with DNVR, in attendance in Mobile, all eyes are on the signal callers in hopes of the team landing their next franchise quarterback.

After perfect conditions on Tuesday, all six quarterbacks had to deal with rain and wind on Wednesday.

Here is DNVR Broncos second Senior Bowl quarterback power rankings. Find the power rankings from the first practice here.

Editors Note: These rankings are based solely off each practice.

1. Malik Willis

Malik Willis stole the show on day two of Senior Bowl practices, flashing his eye-popping traits all over the field, including one sequence that featured a 40-yard run followed immediately by a 40-yard touchdown pass.

Willis’ flashy speed to go along with his electric arm has those in attendance gushing about his potential.

In a draft that lacks elite quarterbacks, the special traits possessed by Willis, combined with his great showing in Mobile, could very well be all it takes to skyrocket him up draft boards as the No. 1 quarterback available.

T-2. Sam Howell

It’s not Sam, it’s Malik.

The reason why Howell fell from the top spot from the first practice to the second was entirely due to Willis shining, not Howell struggling.

In fact, for a second-straight day, Howell displayed many traits to be a top quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft. On Wednesday, the 6-foot-1 QB put the deep ball on display. Again. And multiple times.

In one-on-one, Howell connected on 40-yard passes to the end zone twice.

The first was a perfectly-placed back-shoulder throw to a receiver tearing across the middle of the field to the right sideline.

The next was a beautiful thrown ball down the right sideline three yards in the end zone. Howell hit the receiver in stride for six.

After a tough senior season, Howell continues his strong start to the draft process.

T-2. Carson Strong

In the first practice of the day in the rainy conditions on Wednesday, Strong separated himself by being the only quarterback on the field who was seemingly unbothered.

The Nevada product flashed his tantalizing arm not with rockets into tight windows but with impressive bombs that cut through the wind and rain 50 yards down the field and into the arms of his receivers.

Additionally, Strong separated himself by showing a ton of fire and excitement on the field, something that hasn’t been common through two practices.

When all was said and done, he had jumped Kenny Picked and joined Howell and Willis in the top 3.

4. Kenny Pickett

For a second practice in a row, the hottest quarterback prospect entering the Senior Bowl had another underwhelming day.

In the rain, Pickett had an opportunity to show that his smaller hands wouldn’t be an issue in less-than-ideal conditions. Unfortunately for the Pitt quarterback, he wasn’t able to shake off those concerns.

Pickett’s passes lacked zip and placement.

On one of his first passes on the day, Pickett looked Trey McBride’s way 10 yards past the line of scrimmage on the right hash. Pickett found McBride a second late and threw the ball behind the Colorado State tight end. Fortunately, the All-American used his outstanding hands to pluck the ball over the defenders head to make the catch.

The Pitt QB was wildly inconsistent throughout the day, including airmailing a ball multiple feet above his receiver in the end zone.

5. Bailey Zappe

After an underwhelming first practice in Mobile, Zappe stepped his game up on Wednesday, displaying the traits that made him the NCAA’s most prolific passer last season.

While his physical traits won’t impress you, he possesses great anticipation on his throws and on Wednesday showed off strong accuracy as well.

Some team will certainly deem him worthy of a late-round flyer.

6. Desmond Ridder

While the Cincinatti quarterback dropped a spot from the first practice, he actually took a step in the right direction on Wednesday. Ridder had more positive plays than he did on Tuesday’s practice, but was still wildly inconsistent.

On multiple passes beyond 10 yards downfield, Ridder missed his intended targets. The biggest concern with that is he was overthrowing and under throwing the ball, making his inconsistencies consistent.

A bright spot from Ridder is he displayed impressive accuracy and arm strength on passes less than 10 yards.