(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
It's no secret that Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are intrigued by Liberty quarterback Malik Wills. They've been linked to Willis since the Senior Bowl and Tomlin has made it clear that it's tough to win in today's league without quarterback mobility. Willis is as mobile as they come and has a rocket arm. He can also extend plays, similar to how Ben Roethlisberger did it in his prime.
According to Jim Nagy of the Senior Bowl, he hasn't evaluated a quarterback prospect as sturdy as Willis since Ben Roethlisberger at Miami of Ohio. Watch Willis just shrug off UAB defensive end Alex Wright in the clip below.
On paper, Willis going to the Steelers makes a lot of sense. However, the Steelers most likely will have to trade up for him, as the chances of Willis falling to No. 20 overall are slim. The Steelers also have just seven draft picks this year, so they don't have a ton of draft capital.
If Willis somehow lands in Pittsburgh, Todd McShay thinks it would be a "perfect marriage."
"Malik Willis brings that running element, you already have a strong run game, you've got a really good defense, so why not the bring in the quarterback in this class, the one quarterback that legitimately can give you a numbers advantage in the run game?" McShay said. "A lot like we've seen with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. That's the kind of plays that I except that they are looking to get with Mike Tomlin coming out and saying we need more mobility at that position."
McShay thinks the big question is whether the Panthers select Willis or Kenny Pickett at sixth overall. If the Panthers pass on Willis, he could fall into the teens.
"Ultimately, I think if Malik Willis starts to creep in that 10, 12, 13 range, the Steelers if they like him as much as I think that they like him, and like him as much as (Liberty head coach) Huge Freeze told me that Mike Tomlin likes him, they can windup moving up to make sure another team doesn't jump ahead of them to go get Malik Willis with that pick."
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