Mike Tomlin Took QB Malik Willis to Dinner on Monday Night

[Steeler Nation]

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky a week ago. But apparently that might not stop them from taking Malik Willis if he’s still on the board at #20. According to reports Head Coach Mike Tomlin took the Liberty super star to dinner on Monday evening. The only other Pro Day eve dinner that Tomlin has had was at Georgia with linebacker Nakobe Dean and defensive lineman Jordan Davis. Much like Willis, Tomlin is in love with Davis.

It’s probably been the worst kept secret of the off-season as it’s been reported on every news outlet possible, but Tomlin would love to have Willis. It was thought initially that the signing of Trubisky would mean the Steelers were out on a quarterback, but it doesn’t quite seem like that’s true any longer.

Now Willis went out today and put on a show at his Pro Day. We know it’s just football in shorts and there isn’t even a pretend defense. But the arm strength is crazy. But don’t take our word for it. Check out the videos below from NFLNetwork.

Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..

 

[SteveA]

Good...

One thing ya'll have missed...We got Mitch & if we are fortunate enough to have Willis fall to us at #20, we have options...If Willis is not ready we go with Trubisky until he is , once Willis is ready we can trade Mitch and get a 4th or 5th...

I just saw Willis' final throw at the Pro Day, from his own 34 yard line 66 yards in stride for a TD

 

[BamaSteeler52]

Yes Tomlin lets burn a first round pick on any QB in this draft...

 

[troymania]

I don't see Willis making it out of the top ten. The new CBS draft (Prisco) for what it's worth, has Detroit #2 Willis, Panthers#6 Pickett, and the Steelers #20 Matt Corall. LOL. Kenyon Green is the pick after us.

 

[steel dino]

If we pick one of these QB's in round one....the new GM is screwed for years to come..

 

[BamaSteeler52]

I don't see Willis making it out of the top ten. The new CBS draft (Prisco) for what it's worth, has Detroit #2 Willis, Panthers#6 Pickett, and the Steelers #20 Matt Corall. LOL. Kenyon Green is the pick after us.

I hope they do not, let those team over draft QB's this year. Corall at #20 is crazy...

 

[SteelBuckeye]

If any of Olave, Davis, Dean, Wilson, or Williams is sitting there at 1-20 and they take a QB ... smh

 

[Drink IRON City]

If any of Olave, Davis, Dean, Wilson, or Williams is sitting there at 1-20 and they take a QB ... smh

If I lived in my fears, this would be one of them.!!!!



Salute the nation

 

[madinsomniac]

I dont trust this team grading QBs.. also I think Tomlin falls for guys way to easily and gets tunnel vision… hopefully willis is long gone by pick 20… but even then when the guys issues with the actual reading nfl defenses comes into play and he forces more passes than mayfield does for picks and inevitably becomes available in five or six years, you absolutely know Tomlin will recycle him here

 

[Atlsteelers]

I don't see Willis making it out of the top ten. The new CBS draft (Prisco) for what it's worth, has Detroit #2 Willis, Panthers#6 Pickett, and the Steelers #20 Matt Corall. LOL. Kenyon Green is the pick after us.

For what’s it worth only the Steelers and Panthers had head coaches & GM’s there to watch Willis throw. IF the Lions were thinking of taking him that high they would have been there today. I just don’t see Willis going that high. Pickett had a solid turn out of teams at his pro day but I can maybe see him going to the Panthers.

 

[stillerfaninfl]

Isn't a qb from Edinboro, Slippery Rock, or Shippensburg available?

 

[bermudasteel]

We've got options...

1. Willis - this kid is starting to check all the boxes. We're going to HAVE TO take a flyer on a franchise QB at some time and with the defense we're stockpiling - I don't not see us losing more than 8 games next season. Hence, no chance at getting Young or Stroud...
2. Davis - he's the tip of the spear, if we sign him.
3. Williams/Wilson/Olave - instant WR1
4. Dean - easy replacement for Bush if he fails again this season.

 

[ghiaz]

Agree with most of the sentiment thus far in this thread; if we take a qb any time before round 3 I'll be pissed. Round 3 I'd be looking at Ridder if available.

 

[SteelBuckeye]

We've got options...

1. Willis - this kid is starting to check all the boxes. We're going to HAVE TO take a flyer on a franchise QB at some time and with the defense we're stockpiling - I don't not see us losing more than 8 games next season. Hence, no chance at getting Young or Stroud...
2. Davis - he's the tip of the spear, if we sign him.
3. Williams/Wilson/Olave - instant WR1
4. Dean - easy replacement for Bush if he fails again this season.

4. Dean - At this point, the Steelers should NOT pick up the fifth-year option for ILB Devin Bush. This realistically means that whether his play this year is great, average, or terrible, he's likely gone next year. Drafting Dean accomplishes two things: 1) It provides a "push" for Bush to play better or be benched this year. A push that few, if any, of the other ILB currently on the roster can provide. 2) At worst, it gives Dean a year to learn the intricacies of the Steelers' defense before taking over for a departing Bush in the 2023 season.
*Buckeye thinks this pick wouldn't suck. (Although I would rather take Williams/Wilson/OLAVE if one of them is also available.)

 

[SteelerFan448]

We've got options...

1. Willis - this kid is starting to check all the boxes. We're going to HAVE TO take a flyer on a franchise QB at some time and with the defense we're stockpiling - I don't not see us losing more than 8 games next season. Hence, no chance at getting Young or Stroud...
2. Davis - he's the tip of the spear, if we sign him.
3. Williams/Wilson/Olave - instant WR1
4. Dean - easy replacement for Bush if he fails again this season.

This is where I am. Next year's "deep QB class" is entirely based on two excellent prospects at the top. The rest of the class has a lot to prove. If a top WR falls, I have to go WR because a top weapon is one of the five most important positions in football today.

Carolina, WFT (sorry, the Commanders name is dumb, I'm sticking with Football Team), Atlanta, and the Steelers have sent GMs and/or HCs to the Pitt and Liberty Pro Day. These are the four teams clearly in big on the QBs this year.

1.6 Carolina (NYG at 1.5)
1.8 Atlanta (NYG at 1.7)
1.11 WFT (NYJ at 1.10)

I have a feeling Carolina likes Pickett and will go in that direction. Atlanta and WFT didn't have their HC to watch Willis, but a top executive. Seattle and New Orleans are wild cards when it comes to the QBs in the draft.

Also of note, Brandon Hunt was at Willis' pro day, Khan at Pickett's.

 

[mightyguru]

I watched Willis' workout today. The kid reminds me of Duante Culpepper...grip it and rip it. Amazing talent. I think he does too many "1st read not there...oh ****!" things right now. If a great QB coach can improve his abilities to read Defenses and anticipate players getting (NFL) open he will be successful. Wouldn't touch him at 20 but I'm just a schmuck on the interwebs.

 

[slashsteel]

I just don't think Willis morphs into an accurate passer. Sill think he is more like Jackson and less like Culpepper.

More than likely you would have to trade up to draft the kid. If I am going to crazily trade up it would be for CJ Stroud.

 

[bermudasteel]

I watched Willis' workout today. The kid reminds me of Duante Culpepper...grip it and rip it. Amazing talent. I think he does too many "1st read not there...oh ****!" things right now. If a great QB coach can improve his abilities to read Defenses and anticipate players getting (NFL) open he will be successful. Wouldn't touch him at 20 but I'm just a schmuck on the interwebs.

That's fair. I saw Josh Allen as a rookie...like you said, get this kid w/ the right QB coach and the sky is the limit...

 

[SteelerFan448]

How do these dinners get arranged? Do coaches put in bids and the winning coach gets to have dinner with a prospect? Does the prospect pick which dinner he goes to? I just find it hard to believe top guys only have one coach who wants to take them to dinner.

 

[SteelerFan448]

That's fair. I saw Josh Allen as a rookie...like you said, get this kid w/ the right QB coach and the sky is the limit...

That's how the NFL looks at these guys. You take crazy raw abilities and mold them into a great QB. Allen and Herbert are two recent QBs who come to mind with crazy abilities but big question marks. Willis is in that category as well.

 

[mightyguru]

How do these dinners get arranged? Do coaches put in bids and the winning coach gets to have dinner with a prospect? Does the prospect pick which dinner he goes to? I just find it hard to believe top guys only have one coach who wants to take them to dinner.

Good question. My guess is HCMVLT has some cachet amongst the kids coming up.

 

[pittbull]

I knew nothing of WIllis just a couple months ago, but of course I started paying attention for obvious reasons. I’d still be happy if he fell to 20. I hope the Steelers perform well under Trubisky, but if Colbert and Tomlin really think this kid can develop…why not? Based on his athleticism, even if he didn’t work out as a QB…they could still find use for him. I agree with Bermuda, I see Tomlin’s 500 win streak continuing…I just think there are too many holes to make a deep push into the playoffs. I have no problem building for a few years down the road as a trade-off for the potential of a decade of competitive football.

 

[steel dino]

How do these dinners get arranged? Do coaches put in bids and the winning coach gets to have dinner with a prospect? Does the prospect pick which dinner he goes to? I just find it hard to believe top guys only have one coach who wants to take them to dinner.

I would guess it goes something like team rep calls restaurant makes reservations and then invites the prospect?

 

[Steelmann]

If I lived in my fears, this would be one of them.!!!!



Salute the nation

Mine would be them moving up to get him. It would be bad enough at #20. Can you imagine giving up a whack of draft choices to move up?

I still think Seattle will go for him as their new Russell Wilson. With pick #9.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

If Willis drops down to 20 (doubtful) Mike Tomlin will not blink…

in an OJ hertz commercial sprint to the podium he will hurdle another team’s draft table and personally turn in the pick clocking a faster 40 than anyone at the combine did this year.

And we’ll all have to deal with a WR1, Dean, Penning or Davis having also dropped right into our lap just to make it really burn. Obviously, I’m kinda living in my fears over this year’s pick.