Mike Vrabel doesn't need film study to understand Malik Willis. The Patriots head coach literally drafted him in Tennessee back in 2022, watched him develop in the Titans system, and now gets to face him as a division rival starting for Miami. That's not coincidence. That's homework already done.
This is the kind of advantage that separates good coaching staffs from the rest. Vrabel didn't just draft Willis—he installed him in an NFL system during a critical developmental window. He knows how Willis processes the pocket, his arm angles, his tendency to hold the ball too long on certain routes. He's seen the freshman mistakes and the growth moments up close. When Willis takes the field at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Vrabel will have context that goes way beyond what's on tape from this season.
The Patriots' defensive game plan practically writes itself. Vrabel can dial up pressures designed specifically for how Willis has shown tendencies to react under duress. Does Willis still escape the pocket to his left? Does he still struggle with quick game reads? These aren't abstract questions for this coaching staff—they're institutional knowledge. Vrabel can tell Dre'Mont Jones and the edge rushers exactly what they're getting, exactly where Willis might want to escape, exactly when he's most vulnerable.
Now, the caveat: Willis has had time to evolve since his Titans days. Miami's system is different. He's had new coaching, new weapons, new context. That matters. But the baseline understanding—the foundational knowledge of who Willis is as a player and processor—that doesn't evaporate. If anything, Vrabel's familiarity with Willis's core instincts becomes more valuable precisely because he can spot what's changed and what hasn't.
In a division rivalry where every edge counts, this feels like a legitimate advantage. The Dolphins got a capable quarterback. The Patriots got one back with a head coach who already knows exactly what he can do.