It seems that the Seattle Seahawks passed on drafting quarterback prospect Malik Willis with any of their first four NFL Draft picks because of a belief that the Liberty star wasn’t anywhere close to ready to contribute at the NFL level soon.

Heading into last month’s Draft, there was a great deal of speculation around several teams that might take a QB with their first-round pick. However, it was always far from a guarantee because this year’s signal-caller class was much weaker than previous editions. Meaning the teams most in need of a QB upgrade had to evaluate if taking one that early would be a reach and if they were better served in trying to address another positional need.

One of those teams was the Seattle Seahawks. Many mock drafts in April suggested they could take Malik Willis with the ninth pick and look to develop him as the replacement for former franchise quarterback Russell Wilson. However, when the time came to make a selection, they instead went with Mississippi tackle Charles Cross.

Yet, Willis remained on the draft board all the way until pick 86 in the third round when the Tennessee Titans selected him. The Seahawks chose three more times before then and passed on the 22-year-old each time. And there seems to be a reason for that.