2022 NFL draft: QB Malik Willis makes perfect sense for the Steelers

The Senior Bowl wrapped up on Saturday and one of the names being tossed around the most was Liberty quarterback Malik Willis. Willis had a strong week of practices and flashed some amazing plays in the game to help NFL teams understand he’s much more than the quarterback who struggled at Liberty in 2021.

One team that noticed was the Pittsburgh Steelers. Head coach Mike Tomlin and the rest of the Steelers brain trust spent a significant amount of time in Mobile scouting the quarterbacks and showed a keen interest in Willis.

The problem with Willis playing so well is it is highly unlikely he is still on the board when the Steelers pick at No. 20. So much like fellow quarterback Kenny Pickett, who is also a potential Steelers target, if Pittsburgh wants him, they will have to trade up to get him.

No one wanted to see Ben Roethlisberger retire but his departure does allow the Steelers to usher in a new, more modern approach to the quarterback position. Roethlisberger hasn’t been a truly mobile quarterback at all in his career and even his physicality and escapability had dropped off a great deal over the last five or six seasons.

But Willis can fix that. In terms of his skills, there’s really no limit to the type of player he can be with proper coaching. His athleticism is off the charts and he’s a much stronger player than people give him credit. At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, Willis is built like a running back and it makes him very hard to bring down.

The debate between Pickett and Willis for the Steelers will rage on between now and the draft but personally, if I am mortgaging the future for a franchise quarterback, Willis is the guy. Pickett can move a little and is capable of escaping the pocket but Willis’ speed adds a dimension we are seeing players dominate good defenses within the NFL.