One of the teams that people are going to have their eyes on during the 2022 NFL Draft is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh is entering a new era as long-time starting quarterback and future Hall of Famer, Ben Roethlisberger, announced his retirement following the season.
The Steelers are in the market for a new starting quarterback for the first time since 2004 when Roethlisberger was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The team already signed Mitchell Trubisky in free agency, but there is a chance he is just a veteran stopgap and the team looks for a long-term answer in this year’s draft.
Throughout the offseason, there has been a lot of speculation about the Steelers’ interest level in drafting a quarterback. They are sending personnel to all of the Pro Days of the tops prospects, which is either an elaborate smokescreen about their plans or them being as forthcoming as possible.
There were reports that the Steelers’ entire organization, from ownership down through the front office and coaching staff, loved Liberty quarterback Malik Willis. Willis is by far the most physically gifted quarterback in this year’s draft class, but every other team knows that as well.
There are some mock drafts that now have Willis going No. 2 overall to the Detroit Lions. The Steelers, who are picking 20th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, would certainly need to make a huge leap up the draft board to have any chance at selecting Willis. Over at NFL.com, they believe the Steelers will trade up in the draft but it won’t be for Willis.
In a recent mock draft, Chad Reuter believes the Steelers will move up to the 12th spot in the draft, making a trade with the Minnesota Vikings to select Cincinnati quarterback, Desmond Ridder. As Rueter points out, the Steelers can use the trade between the Chicago Bears and New York Giants last season as a baseline for a deal to make with the Vikings.
Pittsburgh is looking for a quarterback with some athleticism and the ability to run the ball. While not as dynamic as Willis, Ridder possesses solid athleticism to make plays outside the pocket with his arm or legs.
In four years as the starter for the Bearcats, Ridder racked up 2,180 yards on the ground, scoring 28 touchdowns. Through the air, he completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 10,239 yards and 87 touchdowns compared to 28 interceptions.
