Mel Kiper on why Malik Willis is the Pittsburgh Steelers answer at quarterback

ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper’s second mock draft of the offseason is finally here. In Kiper’s latest mock draft, he has the Pittsburgh Steelers addressing the quarterback position, which has been talked about a lot following the retirement of longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Many mocks throughout the previous few weeks have had the Steelers trading up to be in a position to draft one of the top quarterbacks available. Kiper, though, has the Steelers standing pat at 20th overall, but they still grab their quarterback in Liberty’s Malik Willis.

“Here’s a nice landing spot for Willis, whom I’ve mentioned will need some time to adjust to the speed of the NFL,” Kiper said. “He didn’t have a ton of talent around him at Liberty and he was sacked an FBS-high 51 times last season. He shouldn’t be asked to play in Week 1 in September. If he goes to Pittsburgh, he’ll compete with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins (and potentially another short-term veteran) and won’t be pressured to play immediately, though the Steelers aren’t going to rebuild in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era.

“Willis is the most talented quarterback in this class, in my opinion, but he can be erratic with his accuracy. He has all of the tools to be successful, but he’ll need to be coached hard. If the Steelers don’t go with a signal-caller here, keep an eye out for offensive line.”

Many mock drafts link the Steelers to Willis

When Ben Roethlisberger retired, speculation began running rampant on what the Steelers will do at quarterback. The Steelers have Mason Rudolph under contract and are expected to bring Dwayne Haskins back as well. Rudolph has started for Pittsburgh before while Roethlisberger was injured, but his results left mixed impressions. Haskins is a former first round quarterback himself, but he has struggled to find his way since coming to the NFL.

Willis would be an intriguing fit in the Steelers offense. He is a dramatically different type of quarterback than Roethlisberger was. Willis is dangerous due to the threat he poses with his ability to run. He began his collegiate career at Auburn before transferring and spending the past two seasons at Liberty. In those two years at Liberty, Willis completed 62.4% of his passes for 5,107 yards, 47 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,822 yards with 27 scores on the ground with the Flames.

The Steelers have also been linked to some of the bigger names available in the trade market. Regardless, Kiper expects the Steelers to go quarterback in his mock draft, and he believes that Willis is a great fit, even though he might not be ready to contribute on day one.