He can run the ball and has a great arm
Problem is he's nothing like what got drafted.
Weaknesses:
Can struggle as a pocket passer
Best plays come off script
Poor field vision
Often gets blinded in the pocket
Short; has a hard time seeing through the line
Must get better at reading defenses
Must get better at working through progressions
Too often stares down primary read
Too often predetermines his passes – could be scheme related
Footwork needs to improve
Throws flatfooted too often
Poor awareness
Doesn’t anticipate
Has to see it open

I don't know if Willis is the answer, but I was pretty sure Clifford and Pratt weren't. I have never been a Clifford fan back to his days at Penn State. Smart kid and an intense competitor but lacks the high end athletic skills needed to compete in the NFL. Pratt may be the backup QB by 2025, but he is just too inexperienced for this year.

So Gute went out and got a one year band aid. Willis lost out to Randolph for the backup QB spot in Tennessee so there is reason to doubt how much he has developed in his two years as a pro, but I still have to believe Willis is better than Clifford or Pratt today.

I am no less optimistic about him as the backup than I was about Clifford or Pratt.

Oppy, I get it. His college tape wasn't the best. (I'm assuming it's the college tape you are referring to). The Titans drafted a better college QB and Rudolph beat him out. He didn't pan out for the Titans. However, Willis, this preseason, looks to be a bit better than Clifford and Pratt short term this year. Next year Pratt may beat him out longer term. I really don't see any real downside with going with Willis this year over Clifford or Pratt. If Love goes down for any time (hopefully only a very short time, if at all), Willis will come in and give it a go. If he fails, they will still have Pratt who has been called up as No.2. My guess is that is Packers put their best bet on someone that will not break the bank as a backup. I'd rather they spend the money on a better OL backup to protect Love, but that may not happen either.

Okay, but the key question with Willis seems to be whether or not he's improved since college?
***
On a related note, the key question with Clifford seems to be whether he had enough time in the pocket in this past preseason to go through progressions before getting clobbered?
I was impressed with the resiliency of Clifford under what appeared to be unrelenting punishment.
Did LaFleur give him opportunities to thrive, or even to survive?
Did the LaFleur offense this past preseason resemble too much the old Woody Hayes offense for Ohio State?
Even if a coach conceals much of the playbook in the preseason, he has to use enough of it to protect all of his QBs, and to put them in positions to do well.
I'm wondering if LaFleur was remiss in possibly not doing so with Clifford, and perhaps also Pratt.

So, if he were less athletic you'd be... happier? I see plays where he sits in the pocket and picks guys out. I see designed plays where he gets the ball out fast. I also see a lesser college division where shit breaks down and he is the best player on the field. How do you ding a guy for that? Oh, he's just a better player than everyone else so his talent doesn't count?

He has a tremendous skill set, it's up to LaFleur to maximize what he does well and get him in positions to win if god forbid he has to play. He's better than Clifford, he's better than Pratt.

Admittedly, it's easy to confuse Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields, but combining them would create a force that the NFL wouldn't be able to reckon with.

Also, honesty many on this board cried when Taysom Hill went to the Saints. Malik Willis is a better prospect than Taysom Hill ever was.

I have zero problems with "running QBs" (except that they tend to have short careers marred by lots of missed time due to wear and tear.)

Hey, run all you want, I just like it when the 'running QB' is a functional, NFL QB who has the skills to navigate and NFL offense, which means accuracy in throws, ability to read a defense, and shows the ability to work through progressions beyond the first and maybe second option. If you can't do those things, you're not a QB- you're a runner, and while that might "create chaos" it's not a long term recipe for success.

This young man is absolutley marginal as a QB. Great runner. Strong Arm. Weak all around skills as a QB. He made his mark in college being more athletic than the defense. Bitternotsour keeps on talking about Lamar- Lamar can play the QB position at an NFL level. This young man doesn't seem to have that ability based on the college highlights and regular season games I've watched.

Seriously, people. Do you want a QB for your back up QB? Or a track star?

"I wonder what happened to him. He was already throwing interceptions in the OTAs back in May."

Maybe it was him playing against a defense not coordinated by Joe Barry? ;)

How are people missing out? He's the back-up. They traded for him because they don't have a pro level back-up on the roster. Both Clifford and Pratt weren't up to the job. This is not to say that Pratt won't ever develop, but that he isn't currently capable for a team of this stature. The coaches have seen them day in day out in practice and made their feelings known.

They didn't plunk down a seventh without reason. You can also assume that the college scouting staff watched Willis at Auburn and at Liberty, and that the pro scouts followed him this last preseason game (at a minimum). Willis may or may not prove himself to be something beyond a back-up and he may never see a snap in the regular season for Green Bay, but he's the guy.

I can also see him as a novelty piece on 2 point conversions and 4th downs. Why not.

And what do you base that assessment on?

If they cut him, who cares?