Senior Bowl quarterback breakdown: Malik Willis flourishes in foul weather

MOBILE, Ala. — At least it was a warm rain.

But that didn’t mean the conditions were ideal for the National and American teams for the second day of practice in advance of the 2022 Senior Bowl here Wednesday.

With near-constant rain and gusty winds, the quarterbacks and their passing targets struggled at times to to find a consistent rhythms. Drops were plentiful. Early in each practice, miscues accumulated as the players adapted.

Eventually, two quarterbacks emerged from the day atop the sextet. And it should come as no surprise that the top two passers from Wednesday’s work were the ones widely adjudged to have the most arm talent of the quarterbacks here.

MALIK WILLIS: IN CONTENTION TO BE THE DRAFT’S QB1?

Willis’ arm strength dominated the day. While he remains inconsistent, missing some easily makeable short-to-intermediate throws, his passes sliced through the air with more zip than every quarterback not named Carson Strong.

The Lions’ coaching staff emphasized under-center work, and for Willis, this represents a period of adjustment. But he looked smoother than expected under center given his lack of experience — and perhaps his best pass came off the play-fake boot, as was the case here on a pass to UCLA tight end Greg Dulcich.

If there is a quibble here, it is in his footwork. He isn’t set, despite a lack of pressure. When he sees Dulcich wide open, he wants to capitalize. But this is where Willis’ arm talent comes into play; despite not being set, he throws a pass out in front of Dulcich, to the outside shoulder, allowing the tight end to make a perfect over-the-shoulder catch that sets up more yardage after the reception.

Willis also had some pinpoint strikes, despite the conditions. One that jumped out was this play in the 7-on-7 period, when he found Dulcich down the middle, squeezing it in before defenders can react.

CARSON STRONG: HIS ARM LIVES UP TO HIS SURNAME

Unlike Willis, Strong didn’t have as many splash plays. And his accuracy was scattershot; even throwing into the wind, he missed a potential touchdown pass when he overthrew his intended target down the seam.

One thing that has helped Strong: the presence of college teammate Romeo Doubs. The two have connected multiple times, and their timing and Strong’s ability to anticipate where Doubs will be provides a window into what Strong will look like throwing to pro receivers with whom he develops cohesion over time.

SAM HOWELL: NOT AS SPECTACULAR AS WILLIS, BUT THERE’S A LOT TO LIKE

Start with Howell’s deep ball — which is what caused him to pop on radars during his breakout 2020 season at North Carolina. He’s been let down by the receivers, but when he goes deep in one-on-one work, Howell has accuracy and gives his receiving target a good chance to make a play.

The fact that South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert couldn’t bring in this pass … that’s not on Howell. This is gorgeous until the ball skips just past Tolbert’s grasp. Ugh.

Howell’s placement and anticipation was good, too. Take this play here in the team-period. Howell makes a quick decision and places the ball in the spot where Calvin Austin III can make the play near the sideline. This pass also came against the wind, which was blowing from south to north:

KENNY PICKETT: SOME FLASHES ONCE HE GOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE CONDITIONS

First things first: It wasn’t a bad day for Pickett. The rain did not lead to any ball-security issues, which is something many teams will scrutinize while awaiting his official hand-size measurement at the NFL Combine next month. He was not extremely accurate Wednesday, but did not have any big misses.

Pickett’s longest completion of the day in team or seven-on-seven period came off of a play-action fake, when he found Colorado State’s Trey McBride down the seam for a connection that would have covered 24 yards before any yardage after the catch.

You can quibble with the placement. And McBride makes a terrific adjustment to the ball in flight. But given the conditions Thursday, if you give the receiving target a viable chance to make a play, you’ve done something well. And with a target of McBride’s quality — he should be TE1 in this draft — Pickett gave him a chance.

I’d like to see Pickett be a bit more consistent in his ball placement, but in terms of his pre-snap command, he already looks the part of a pro quarterback.

DESMOND RIDDER: SOME GOOD DECISIONS

He’s learning how to operate from under center, and the results are mixed. On the positive side, he’s showing that he can make good choices out of the play-action boot, and had a nice completion during Wednesday’s work.

He also had a potential double-digit-yardage gain off of a scramble from the boot action. However, Ridder also needs to learn to sell the play fake a bit better than he has. That can — and will — come with with experience. He was generally more accurate than he was Tuesday.

BAILEY ZAPPE: STRUGGLES IN THE WIND

When contrasted with fellow American team quarterbacks Howell and Willis, Zappe’s arm strength is lacking, and that was exacerbated by Wednesday’s conditions — although he did have a deep connection early in practice. Zappe made some shaky decisions as the day progressed, with at least one pass that should have been intercepted.