Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis did not have a rookie season that many young QBs would covet. After falling to the Titans in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Willis' roller coaster rookie season crashed into the station and landed him at the bottom of Tennessee's depth chart.

Once viewed as the successor to Ryan Tannehill, Willis was replaced by Joshua Dobbs as the Titans' backup late in the season with a playoff birth on the line. Tennessee then traded up for the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 draft to select Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, all but confirming Willis' low standing with the team.

But renowned NFL analyst Mel Kiper recently came to Willis' defense, saying that he is not ready to write off the former Liberty QB. 

While things did not go well for Willis on the field as a rookie, the plan was never to play him in 2022. Willis did not play in a pro style offense under Hugh Freeze at Liberty, and was drafted as a long-term project. It was the injuries to Ryan Tannehill that forced the rookie into action sooner than expected.

For this reason, Kiper is a big believer that Malik Willis' NFL story is not done being written. Here's what Kiper had to say on the Lamestream Sports podcast with Steve Cavendish and Braden Gall:

"I think it's really unfair to look at last year and say 'look at the struggles throwing the football,'" Kiper said. "He needed time and we knew that. I thought with Ryan Tannehill there, he would have time. Well, the injury and things happen and you're forced out there, but for Malik Willis, I would not write Malik Willis off at all."

"We're kicking quarterbacks to the curb after year one coming out of Liberty? This is nuts," Kiper exclaimed. "Back when I first started this business, we were doing 4-5 years of developing quarterbacks."

While there is certain to be a lot of eyes on the Titans' quarterback room in training camp and discussions about when Will Levis should be given an opportunity as the starter, Kiper still has Willis in the conversation. 

"I think Malik deserves an opportunity to compete for this job," the ESPN talent evaluator said. "The talent is there. The want to is there."

Willis will be given every opportunity to climb the depth chart and prove the haters wrong throughout OTA's and training camp as the Titans coaching staff gets an in-depth look at how Willis compares to the rest of the room. That said, I don't think it's a reach to say he is starting behind the 8-ball. In drafting Levis, the Titans are already preparing for a future that doesn't include Tannehill or Willis.

It's now or never for Malik Willis to prove his value to the Titans moving forward.