Why the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to have pivoted away from Malik Willis
I don't think there's any doubt that the Pittsburgh Steelers would love to take Liberty quarterback Malik Willis in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. But at this point, the only way the Steelers are going to draft Willis is if they trade up in the draft. Thanks to Willis' impressive combine performance […]
I don't think there's any doubt that the Pittsburgh Steelers would love to take Liberty quarterback Malik Willis in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
But at this point, the only way the Steelers are going to draft Willis is if they trade up in the draft. Thanks to Willis' impressive combine performance and Pro Day, he now appears to be a lock to be at least a top 10 draft pick (he could go as high as No. 2 to the Detroit Lions).
Pittsburgh isn't the type of franchise to give up significant draft capital to trade up to the No. 2 pick, so we have to assume a trade is unlikely.
With that in mind, it looks like the Steelers are pivoting away from Willis and placing more focus on Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, who is more likely to fall to Pittsburgh in the first round.
Ridder is a 6-foot-4 quarterback who is coming off an impressive season with the Bearcats (3,334 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions).
The former three-star recruit is extremely athletic (runs a 4.55 in the 40-yard dash), has a strong arm, and can make all the throws. He's a player with a lot of upside who many think could end up being the best quarterback in this year's draft.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert reportedly spent a significant amount of time with Ridder at his Pro Day earlier this week.
With Ridder being the most likely of the top quarterbacks to fall to Pittsburgh, it's understandable why the Steelers are spending more time on him lately.
I'm not sure if Pittsburgh likes Ridder enough to trade up a couple of spots to grab him (the New Orleans Saints pick at No. 18 and could be a threat to draft a quarterback), but I definitely think that will be an option for the Steelers depending on how the draft shakes out (trading up two or three sports is a lot cheaper than trading up to No. 2).
Featured image via Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
