As the 2021 college football season continues to get closer with teams across the country in training camp, projections for who will be taken in the 2022 NFL Draft are becoming more common. Pro Football Network has taken their stab at a full, seven round mock draft and there are two Liberty players being selected in this projection.
Pro Football Network has quarterback Malik Willis being taken second overall by the Detroit Lions. Most pre-season projections over the past several months have included Willis in their first round and going as high as No. 1 overall after leading the Flames in rushing last season while also being the top rushing quarterback in all of FBS.
“Malik Willis might be the most physically talented quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft,” the projection stated of Willis. “His arm might legitimately be a rocket-propelled mechanism constructed by NASA, and the 6’1″, 215-pound signal-caller is just as explosive and dynamic with his legs. There are some issues regarding his decision-making and accuracy, but as long as Willis progresses, his tools are easily worthy of a top selection.”
Durrell Johnson was also included in this early mock draft, going in the sixth round with pick No. 185 by the Tennessee Titans. Johnson is one of the best pass rushing defensive ends in all of college football. He finished his first year with the Flames with a team-leading 11.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.
Willis and Johnson helped lead Liberty to a 10-1 record in the shortened 2020 season, ending the year with a dramatic bowl victory over Coastal Carolina. The pair also helped lead Liberty to two wins over ACC foes in Syracuse and in-state opponent Virginia Tech. The two wins made Liberty the first non-Power 5 team to post a pair of wins over ACC schools in the same season since Houston in 2015. Liberty finished the 2020 campaign ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press poll and No. 18 in the Amway Coaches Poll, the highest ever ranking for the Flames as an FBS program.
Liberty is scheduled to begin the 2021 season on Saturday, Sept. 4 at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Flames have won 11 straight games inside the friendly confines of Williams Stadium on the Mountain.
