The Pittsburgh Steelers are head over heels for Malik Willis, but fans may not be too thrilled when they learn about Mike Tomlin’s backup plan in the 2022 NFL Draft.
You can try to convince yourself that there are multiple positions on the table Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the NFL Draft. Some fans I have talked to have gone as far as to say that they won’t select a quarterback this year. However, when you really study their offseason interests, it’s not hard to figure out what Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert have in mind this year.
The Steelers want a quarterback in the NFL Draft… and not just any quarterback. They want Malik Willis.
This statement shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. Since they first met with Willis and his parents at the Senior Bowl, Tomlin’s eyes lit up. From there, Pittsburgh’s brass has had extensive visits with Willis at the NFL Combine and his Liberty Pro Day. It only seemed right that they capped off their final in-house pre-draft visit by bringing Willis into the facility.
Recently, a source told me that the Steelers indeed like Willis as their top quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft. They also apparently have a backup plan if they are unable to acquire Willis. Unfortunately, it may not be the one you were hoping for.
What is Steelers backup plan if they can’t land Willis?
According to this source, if Pittsburgh isn’t able to draft Willis, they prefer Cincinnati QB, Desmond Ridder, as their fallback plan in the first round. If this is true, I don’t know how I feel about it.
While Ridder has good size and great athletic traits, his arm is just average by NFL standards and he has been rather inaccurate over his career — even with a clean pocket. Ridder was also aided by an uber-talented roster that includes NFL talent at numerous positions despite playing against a non-Power Five schedule.
Still, it’s not hard to see which traits Mike Tomlin and the Steelers brass might love about Ridder. At 6’3” with 10” hands, Ridder meets the size requirements they typically look for at the QB, as the Steelers have never drafted a quarterback under 6’3” during the Kevin Colbert era.
What’s perhaps most impressive about Ridder is his astronomical 43-6 record over four years in college football. His coaches speak volumes about his leadership and ability to command the offense — something that will go a long way with NFL executives.
For much of the offseason, I believed that Sam Howell would be the fallback plan if Pittsburgh isn’t able to draft Malik Willis (and that could still prove to be the case). However, it now seems like Desmond Ridder is squarely on their radar in the first round and could be in contention at pick 20 in the 2022 NFL Draft.