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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Take mock drafts with a grain of salt. However, one draft expert I really enjoy is ESPN‘s Todd McShay. He is more reasonable then Mel Kiper every year and McShay’s latest mock draft released Wednesday morning will elate fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers. McShay doesn’t just have the team selecting a quarterback, but trading up four spots to grab, hopefully, the quarterback of the future in Pittsburgh.
Kenny Pickett‘s name has been thrown around for months in connection with the Steelers, but McShay has the Steelers trading to the Los Angeles Chargers‘ 16th overall pick to select Malik Willis out of Liberty. Willis shined in the Senior Bowl earlier this month and displayed skills that many compared to Lamar Jackson. This would be a complete 180 going from Ben Roethlisberger to Willis, but Mike Tomlin was quoted saying a mobile quarterback would be ideal.
One can assume that the Steelers moving up to #16 is solely to get ahead of the New Orleans Saints because they are also in the market for a quarterback.
Willis, while having the potential to be dynamic, threw 12 interceptions last year and is a work in progress. He is certainly not a guy who will thrive immediately in the NFL. Another concerning statistic is that he was sacked 51 times in 2021. He is able to move around in the pocket, but he has shown that he tends to hold onto the ball for too long. The Steelers current offensive line would not allow him to excel.
Willis was responsible for 40 total touchdowns last season including rushing for 13 of them. He certainly seems to be a better fit in Matt Canada‘s offense more so than any other quarterback option at this point. It would be fun to draft Willis, but he is a guy whose name could potentially be forgotten about in five years if he doesn’t develop properly.
I still believe in the scenario that Tomlin will give Mason Rudolph a chance and as he underperforms, we could see a rookie quarterback get the nod midseason. Whether McShay is accurate in this prediction or not, it is very enticing to think about and hope for another franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh sooner rather than later.
Would you be okay trading up four spots to draft Willis? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
Kenny Pickett‘s name has been thrown around for months in connection with the Steelers, but McShay has the Steelers trading to the Los Angeles Chargers‘ 16th overall pick to select Malik Willis out of Liberty. Willis shined in the Senior Bowl earlier this month and displayed skills that many compared to Lamar Jackson. This would be a complete 180 going from Ben Roethlisberger to Willis, but Mike Tomlin was quoted saying a mobile quarterback would be ideal.
One can assume that the Steelers moving up to #16 is solely to get ahead of the New Orleans Saints because they are also in the market for a quarterback.
Willis, while having the potential to be dynamic, threw 12 interceptions last year and is a work in progress. He is certainly not a guy who will thrive immediately in the NFL. Another concerning statistic is that he was sacked 51 times in 2021. He is able to move around in the pocket, but he has shown that he tends to hold onto the ball for too long. The Steelers current offensive line would not allow him to excel.
Willis was responsible for 40 total touchdowns last season including rushing for 13 of them. He certainly seems to be a better fit in Matt Canada‘s offense more so than any other quarterback option at this point. It would be fun to draft Willis, but he is a guy whose name could potentially be forgotten about in five years if he doesn’t develop properly.
I still believe in the scenario that Tomlin will give Mason Rudolph a chance and as he underperforms, we could see a rookie quarterback get the nod midseason. Whether McShay is accurate in this prediction or not, it is very enticing to think about and hope for another franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh sooner rather than later.
Would you be okay trading up four spots to draft Willis? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
