NFL insider projects Steelers’ decision at quarterback in mock draft
By Ethan Lee
The Pittsburgh Steelers would benefit from picking a quarterback in the first round and many expect that this will be the case.
Replacing a quarterback who has largely defined a franchise for years is never an easy thing to do and the Pittsburgh Steelers are facing a tough task as they try to find an adequate replacement for Ben Roethlisberger, who announced his retirement back in January.
Now, nearly three months following Roethlisberger’s retirement announcement, it appears as if the Steelers could go out and replace him with someone to be their quarterback for the foreseeable future.
There’s never any sort of absolute guarantee that a quarterback will pan out, but the Steelers definitely need a quality quarterback throwing the ball around and there are some intriguing options in this draft class.
One NFL insider’s mock 2022 NFL Draft has the Steelers selecting a particularly interesting quarterback.
2022 NFL Draft: NFL insider projects Pittsburgh Steelers will pick dynamic quarterback in first round
In his lone mock draft of the year, Benjamin Allbright has the Steelers choosing Malik Willis with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Whether or not he makes an impact in the relatively near future remains to be seen, but the Steelers picking Willis would be fascinating. Willis has proven that he’s talented and athletic as he led Hugh Freeze’s Liberty Flames to a number of wins during his time there.
During his time at Liberty, Willis managed to throw for 5,107 yards and 47 touchdowns against 18 interceptions.
His completion percentage of 62.4 percent isn’t exactly thrilling and there were times when Willis looked less than stellar. Still, while that is worth noting, it’s also worth pointing out that Willis has shown he can thrive in Freeze’s offense and do damage by either running or passing. His 1,822 rushing yards and 27 rushing touchdowns in 23 games for Liberty are pretty impressive and worth keeping in mind.
Willis may not be the perfect quarterback draft prospect, but he had a solid college career and it’d be exciting to see him get a shot at leading a team in the NFL.