Pittsburgh Steelers Land Future QB In 7-Round 2022 NFL Mock Draft

Round 1, 20th Overall: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty

The Malik Willis era officially begins for the Pittsburgh Steelers in this 2022 NFL Mock Draft. Willis saw his stock boom after the Senior Bowl. In a week designed to help quarterbacks who excel in structure, Willis won the week anyway, showing off his impressive arm strength and arm talent while also dropping some dimes in 1v1s and making good throws in team drills.

Willis is oozing with tools that will draw eyes from evaluators. Some of it will be due to the success of players like Justin Herbert and Josh Allen, who possessed strong arms and athleticism as well. But, Willis has grown in his time as a passer, and the flash throws became more commonplace in 2021. He made some dynamite throws on the run where he maintained velocity and showed off the accuracy, and showed off the athleticism to make plays on the ground.

The issue with Willis is still handling things in structure. His process has to speed up, and there were some poor decisions along with poor accuracy when facing pressure. Of course, Willis didn’t play with NFL talent at Liberty, but other small-school guys have made it work.

The Steelers have talked about adding mobility at quarterback, and Willis provides that. The upside is tremendous with him, and it’s worth a gamble.