Steelers Will Go Get Malik Willis in NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers want their guy.
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PITTSBURGH -- Look, there's been no hiding that the Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in Malik Willis as the best quarterback in this year's NFL Draft. And after Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert spoke at their Pre-Draft press conference, it's clear they're going to get him. 

Willis needs to fall before the Steelers start making phone calls, but that seems more and more likely be the day. At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if the first quarterback taken isn't until outside of the top 10, with one insider saying it might not come until pick 20. 

The Steelers have spent A LOT of time scouting quarterbacks in this year's draft process. They've had roughly seven in the building for pre-draft visits, caught everyone's attention with their love for Willis at the Senior Bowl, and anytime you asked a QB at the NFL Combine if they spoke with the Pittsburgh Steelers, they said yes.

"Coach and I met more with that position than we have [any other]," Colbert said at the Pre-Draft presser. "Our offensive coaches, Coach [Mike] Sullivan, Coach [Matt] Canada, they spent more time with individual meetings. And look, quarterback is the most critical position in our sport, and we have to get that right. Could we add somebody? Yes. Could we start the season without adding anybody? Yes. And we'll see where it all goes."

That sounds like a classic Colbert quote, right? That's because it didn't get interesting until Tomlin followed it up.

"Yeah, really nothing to add," Tomlin said. "I enjoy the process of having heightened urgency for a position. Seemed like a year ago we chopped up the running backs in a similar way. I know that the process we've gone through in terms of getting to know the quarterback pool is getting some attention, but it's not an irregular process for us in terms of locking in and getting a feel for a certain pool within the pool, if you will."

Last year, we all tried to convince ourselves the pick wasn't as easy as Najee Harris. This year, we're all trying to convince ourselves the Steelers won't go get their guy at the quarterback position.

That guy is Malik Willis.

Colbert confirmed the team will finish making phone calls about trades within the next 48 hours. They'll also go through their draft board and mock players for themselves at each of the first 32 picks.

If Willis falls outside of the top 10, the Steelers will make a move. The 12th pick seems like the most talked about option, and feels like it makes the most sense in terms of value. 

But wherever it is, Pittsburgh has their eyes on Malik Willis. 

And they will go get him. 

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.