At this point, it really feels like a foregone conclusion that the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. The only question now is which quarterback will they take.
In Draft Wire’s new mock draft, the Steelers make a huge trade up from No. 20 all the way to No. 8 with the Atlanta Falcons in order to draft Liberty quarterback Malik Willis.
Here’s what they had to say about the move and the pick:
The Falcons should take Willis, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they pulled the trigger on an offer from the Steelers that would net them at least another first-round pick in next year’s draft, which should have a stronger quarterback class.
It seems like no team loves Willis more than the Steelers, and if he gets to this spot, they would be wise to leap ahead of the Seahawks, who could be targeting him with the next pick. If Willis becomes the dynamic playmaker he can be at the next level, that 2023 first-round pick the Steelers give up in this deal should be a late one.
Giving up next year’s first-round pick to move up for Willis doesn’t seem like a bad move when you consider that pick is most likely going to be somewhere in the late teens, or early 20s again. Willis might not be on par with some of the top quarterbacks in the last few drafts coming out of college but his ceiling is just as high. I’ve compared his final season to that of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s last year at Wyoming and the comparison remains valid. Not to mention they operate with very similar skill sets.
Let us know if you would be ok with a move like this for the Steelers.
[vertical-gallery id=517259]
[listicle id=517338]