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2022 NFL Draft Prospect Matchmaker: Quarterback Fits

By Christopher Thomas

Feb 2, 2022; Mobile, AL, USA; National quarterback Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh (8) listens to coach during National practice for the 2022 Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL, USA.Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports***National quarterback Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati (9) is seen in background***
Feb 2, 2022; Mobile, AL, USA; National quarterback Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh (8) listens to coach during National practice for the 2022 Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL, USA.Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports***National quarterback Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati (9) is seen in background*** /
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Malik Willis, 2022 NFL Draft
2022 NFL Draft prospect Malik Willis #7 of the Liberty Flames (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Quarterback #1: Malik Willis, Liberty

After the Senior Bowl, Liberty quarterback Malik Willis cemented his status as the most talented quarterback in this year’s class in the eyes of scouts, fans, and the media. However, this does not guarantee that he is the first quarterback off the board. Willis has a lot of physical tools that should translate to stardom at the next level.

However, he will need time to translate to the speed of the NFL game because he did not play top-tier competition that compares to the NFL level consistently during his time at Liberty.

As a prospect, Willis compares best to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance because he needs time to develop into the player many think he could become at the NFL level. Unlike Lance, Willis will need to work on his interceptions, which is something he struggled with at times this past season.

His mobility and athleticism have drawn comparisons to Mike Vick and Lamar Jackson. Expecting a prospect to become the offensive weapon either of them has become in the NFL is extremely unfair. However, Willis could be one of the most dangerous running quarterbacks in the league very soon in his career.

At this time of the draft process, there is no perfect destination for Willis because he will likely be selected within the top 10 of the 2022 NFL Draft, but should not be thrown into the fire very early into his career. It could make a lot of sense for a team to trade up into the top 10 to select Willis to be their quarterback of the future.

The team that makes the most sense for Willis is the team that has been linked to him the entire draft process, the Pittsburgh Steelers. They already have a bridge quarterback in place in Mitch Trubisky who could be trusted to be the team’s starter for all 17 regular season games. Pittsburgh has made it clear they want to transition to a mobile quarterback in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era and they could do just that by taking Willis.

In a tough AFC North, Pittsburgh needs a star quarterback to compete against Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Deshaun Watson every season. Willis has the potential to be that star and could be the missing piece to get a talented Steelers team to a deep playoff run. This team made the playoffs with Ben Roethlisberger, who was way past his prime, under center. Imagine what this team could do with a star quarterback like Willis is projected to be running the offense.

It seems unlikely that Willis will fall all the way to pick #20 where the Steelers select. However, the Steelers have shown in recent years that they have no problem packaging draft picks to move up into the top 10. Back in 2019, Pittsburgh traded the 20th pick, 52nd pick, and 83rd pick to move up to pick #10 to select linebacker Devin Bush. If Willis falls past the Detroit Lions at #2 they will likely be calling teams to get into the top 10 to select Willis.

Prediction: The Pittsburgh Steelers trade the 20th pick, 52nd pick, and a 2023 first-round pick to the New York Giants for the fifth overall pick to select Malik Willis.

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