Are the Pittsburgh Steelers going to select a quarterback in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft?

That's the biggest question surrounding the franchise as we enter April.

The Steelers signed Mitch Trubisky earlier this offseason to serve as the starting quarterback in 2022. But Trubisky isn't viewed as Pittsburgh's long-term answer at quarterback.

That's why there's an expectation that the Steelers will take a quarterback in the first round of the draft. The problem, however, is whether or not a quarterback will fall to the Steelers.

Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, who seems to be Pittsburgh's top target, could go in the top 10. Or he could fall until later in the first round. Willis is talented, but he's raw. So it truly depends on how other NFL teams view him (and it's hard to know how he's viewed right now since teams like to put out misinformation during the draft process).

The latest mock draft from The Athletic has an interesting scenario playing out.

They have the Steelers selecting Northern Iowa offensive lineman Trevor Penning with the No. 20 overall pick. Then they have Pittsburgh making a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for the No. 30 overall pick and selecting Willis.

From The Athletic:

Life after Ben Roethlisberger starts this year, and Pittsburgh moves up to kickstart a small quarterback run. Willis, a former Auburn Tiger, has the strongest arm in the draft and is a good runner; he was well-suited to Hugh Freeze’s RPO attack. The 6-foot, 225-pounder had a 47-18 TD-INT ratio the past two seasons. He also ran for 27 touchdowns and more than 1,800 yards during that stretch. There’s a lot of tools there, but he’s still raw.

There are so many potential scenarios for the Steelers in this draft that it's nearly impossible to predict what they'll do.

That's mostly because it depends on what other teams do. I don't think there's any way that Willis falls to the end of the first round. I think a quarterback-needy team will end up drafting Willis in the top 10 (I am betting on the Carolina Panthers).

I can't see the Steelers trading up to draft Willis, either. So I think they'll stay put and draft an offensive lineman or defensive lineman at No. 20.

The NFL draft, however, tends to get crazy, which is why we can't rule out the Steelers doing something wild if Willis falls. But as of now, I'd be shocked if The Athletic's predicted scenario plays out this way later this month.

Featured image via David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports