Steelers trade up to grab their franchise QB in recent NFL mock draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers are clearly eying the QB position. Here’s why NFL Network has them trading up to land their franchise quarterback in their latest NFL mock draft. 

Don’t be surprised to quarterbacks frequently mocked to the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2022 offseason. For the first time in eighteen years, this really feels like a great possibility.

With Ben Roethlisberger gone, most assumed that Mike Tomlin was not going to be okay with Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins leading the charge moving forward, as neither QB has shown much of anything on the big stage when given the chance. Because of the way the Steelers have always done business, it seems likely that the front office will want to fill the void via the 2022 NFL Draft.

There is a remarkable and necessary emphasis placed on the QB position in today’s NFL, and it’s getting harder and harder to win without one of the top signal-callers in the league. We saw just how much this offense struggled with an aging Big Ben in 2021, and Pittsburgh can’t expect things to get any better until they start making some serious investments at QB again.

Recently, Lance Zierlein of NFL Network comprised his first mock draft of the 2022 offseason. He had the Steelers trading up from the 20th overall pick to the 17th overall pick to select Liberty QB, Malik Willis. Here’s what Zierlein had to say about this selection:

"Willis might not have played for a traditional college football power, but he is hard to bring down, can extend plays and has the arm to attack all areas of the field. The Steelers move up for their next starting QB."

Willis seems to be a very popular pick for the Steelers at the moment. During Senior Bowl week, Pittsburgh’s brass clearly took an interest in the Liberty quarterback as they had an extended meeting with both Willis and his parents.

It’s easy to get what the Steelers see in him. In addition to his excellent arm talent and elite mobility at the QB position, Malik Willis is an exceptional character with a great head on his shoulders. The collection of these traits makes him a prospect that coaches will fall in love with.

Unfortunately, I agree with Zierlein that Willis might be an impossible prospect to land without a trade-up. While there’s always a chance he slides to Pittsburgh’s pick at 20 overall, there are rumored to be several teams inside the top-12 who have Willis on their radar, and many have mocked him to the Denver Broncos with the 9th overall pick.

While Kevin Colbert might not be willing to leapfrog the Broncos, I can see a scenario where they trade up to get their man if he falls outside of the top 10-15 picks.

Malik Willis is a player who will be commonly mocked to the Steelers throughout the pre-draft process because of their obvious interest in the talented QB, but I have a feeling they aren’t going to be able to draft him unless they are willing to trade up in the 2022 NFL Draft.