In Malik Willis, the Dolphins now have something they haven’t had in years —-an athletic quarterback with great mobility.

Though the question had nothing to do with Tua Tagovailoa (and his limited mobility) or any particular quarterback, coach Jeff Hafley made clear how much he appreciates mobile quarterbacks by explaining how difficult it is to defend them.

“It’s pretty simple: Like most games, it’s timing and rhythm and the ball is out or it’s a bad play,” Hafley said. “When you’re in zone coverage and the quarterback starts to roam and wide receivers start to run around, there’s holes everywhere open in zone. When you’re in man coverage and the play goes off-schedule and the quarterback starts running around, do you know how hard it is to cover for those extra four, five, six seconds?

“I mean, it’s awful. Especially if the guy can throw it on the run. It makes it two parts to the play that you have to defend, and then there’s the threat of him running, so now your edge guys and your D-line have to play a certain way and make sure that they don’t fly by the quarterback, or you make sure you don’t run a game and now a nose is wrapping to contain. You’ve got to call the game differently the way you kind of run your games, the way you pressure and then certain coverages you got to play, so that’s why” it’s much tougher to defend mobile quarterbacks.”

That’s something the Dolphins were missing offensively but will have now.

Willis is considered among the best runners at the quarterback position — on designed runs and scrambles out of trouble.

He has 74 rushing attempts in his career for 405 yards — a 5.5 average.

Sullivan on Achane

▪ General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan adeptly explained De’Von Achane’s superb skill set in a conversation with Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio:

“I think he’s a rare player. His feet, his acceleration, his ability to play on all three downs. He’s a very good pass catcher. He reminds me of a lot of a guy that I played with in high school by the name of Warrick Dunn, who went on to have a marvelous career.

“Maybe it’s the 28 that he wears on his back, which Warrick wore forever. But I see a lot of similarities. Now, Warrick did it for a decade, and neither one of them are big guys, and I think if De’Von was sitting here, he’d be the one to tell you, like I think that’s going to be the question for him. Can he be as durable as Warrick was over time? But he’s a marvelous player. We wanna move forward with him. It’s important to us to get a deal done. He’s part of the future for us.”

Achane made his first Pro Bowl last season after finishing first in the league in yards per carry (5.7) and fifth in rushing yards (1,350). He also had 67 receptions for 488 yards. He had 12 TDs — eight on the ground and four in the air.

Sullivan has said the Dolphins want to extend Achane’s contract. Achane said an extension is important to him; he didn’t show up to the start of the voluntary offseason program.

Hafley, meanwhile, marvels at Achane: “He’s dynamic. I mean there are plays that you’re not even blocked right for and he gets 6 or 7 yards. His vision, his acceleration, the way he can catch the ball out of the backfield, he’s so hard to defend.”

▪ How much will off-field intangibles and character affect Sullivan’s thinking in the draft? He says it’s a difference-maker if two players are comparable. And he generally will try to avoid players if he has a concern about their makeup.

“Any time you’re trying to build a culture, we have to be so intentional about the people we’re bringing in the door,” he said. “These 11 players… have to be able to play, but the wiring of the kid, the passion for the game, the physical and mental toughness, being a good teammate — all that incorporates culture.

“You can’t say you want to have a certain kind of culture and bring the wrong guy through the door. We all get seduced by talent. I’m not going to take a try hard guy over talent. But if it’s close, I’m going to take the guy I know is wired right.”

▪ Couple quick personnel notes from Hafley: He said there is no decision on whether Jonah Savaiinaea will compete at left guard — his position last season — or right guard, where he played in college: “I just think once we get these guys and figure out what they can do – whether he’s better on the right, whether he’s better on the left – I think after OTAs, as we get into training camp, we’ll figure all that out.”…

Hafley on new edge players Josh Uche and David Ojabo: “They can play the run, can set edges, can rush, can win quick, have had success in their careers. Excited to work with those guys.”

Here’s my Monday piece on Dolphins’ edge rusher options in the draft.