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Why did we pass on Malik Willis?

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by Benny Lava, Nov 6, 2022.

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  1. SGSteeler

    SGSteeler Well-Known Member

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    I see some similarities, but there are differences too. I understand why a team might take a chance on Richardson, but they HAVE to be prepared to be on the 3 year plan (at minimum). I think Richardson is more appealing just because he was able to be a playmaker in the best conference in the game vs at an FCS school, so the jump from 3rd round to 1st isn’t a stretch.

    I just hope the Titans aren’t souring on Willis simply because he’s taking time to develop. That was always going to be the case. You knew he was a great athlete with a killer arm, and you also knew he BARELY knew how to play the QB position at a FCS competent level. He had a long journey ahead of him and it was never going to be a one or two year study for him. I guess he’s expendable since he was a 3rd round pick, as teams will be more likely to stick with a first rounder (like the Bills did with Allen).

    Feel bad for the kid because it probably spells his departure from the league. He won’t get prime attention and will probably be out of the league in another year or two. I hope whoever takes Richardson gives him the proper chance.
     
  2. SGSteeler

    SGSteeler Well-Known Member

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    We probably wouldn’t have given up on Willis as quickly as the Titans seem to have…

    With that being said, If Willis was the pick we’d probably be sitting around pick 10 wondering if we were willing to trade our future away for the Bears pick that eventually got traded to Carolina. I think the fans would have been all in on the Stroud Sweepstakes. The team might not have been.
     
  3. FootballAnalyst98

    FootballAnalyst98 Well-Known Member

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    When I suggested this from last yr, I was told it was no way this team could've ended up top ten.
     
  4. CK 13

    CK 13 Well-Known Member

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  5. CK 13

    CK 13 Well-Known Member

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    Sing along with Mitch would have been our starter for the year and beyond. Willis was nothing but a small school project as we watched fall to the 3rd round. Now he will just be a clipboard holder because the Titans are going to draft a QB in round 1. Thank goodness we didn't reach for him.

    They made the right pick in Kenny Pickett. Enough said...
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2023
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  6. mikeyg

    mikeyg Well-Known Member

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    yes, they did. Time - Will - Tell......but, yes, they did.
     
  7. SGSteeler

    SGSteeler Well-Known Member

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    Around pick ten. We likely wouldn’t have been a 9-8 team with Mitch as the full time starter, but we still would’ve won enough games to not be a 5-6 win team. I think to be around pick 10 or low teens, we would have needed to be 7-10. That’s a realistic spot I think had Mitch started all year. Mitch showed in the Tampa and Carolina games that he could still win games, but his inconsistency in the first Ravens game showed that he wasn’t quite as good as Kenny who really took care of the ball to end the year.
     
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  8. SGSteeler

    SGSteeler Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, that’s the point. The Titans aren’t going to wait around for him to develop. If that was the case, they never should have taken Willis in the first place. However the two guys outside of Stroud and Young are projects in their own right… they might just be trading into the same situation with guys that are more talented, but still need a year or two before they can contribute on the field in a positive manner.

    I always thought we made the right choice with Pickett. Hindsight is always 20/20 but it keeps getting clearer and clearer that the right choice was made.
     
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  9. strummerfan

    strummerfan Well-Known Member

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    I wonder if the titans would take our 3rd or 4th for willis?
     
  10. troybellringer55

    troybellringer55 Well-Known Member

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    I was worried about Willis whenever Josh Dobbs was ending the season at their QB spot.
     
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  11. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Just chilling

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    Misquoting

    lying or just plain :bscow:
     
  12. S.T.D

    S.T.D Well-Known Member

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    I know You like this type of Qbs....So when I say these things....Just know I'm not bashing You .....just the players.
    Yes those praising one , and bashing the other is very confusing.
     
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  13. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Just chilling

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    Troll

    Liar

    And not proper English
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2023
  14. Wardismvp

    Wardismvp Well-Known Member

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    Because he is not remotely ready to
    Play QB in the Nfl.
     
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  15. BigBensBigBong

    BigBensBigBong Well-Known Member

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    Old thread fun, eh?

    Now I wait for Benny to drive-by, LOL.
     
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  16. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    Found this nugget while surfing the Internet.


    https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/arti...ut_of_favor_with_the_titans/s1_13132_38672517


    All the more reason I stated it would be best to have him sit and develop. However, if he is not catching on as quickly as Mike Vrabel had hoped, it is no surprise that the Titans have been recently mocked to trade into the Top 5 to nab a signal caller in this draft. Seems as if the team as a whole is not sold on him.
     
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  17. Steel_Elvis

    Steel_Elvis Staff Member Mod Team

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    I think what the Titans did with Willis last season was a football atrocity. Even Willis’ biggest supporters acknowledged that he would not be ready in 2022, and Tennessee set him up to fail by not having a 2nd stringer in between Tannehill and him.
     
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  18. S.T.D

    S.T.D Well-Known Member

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    I personally don't get the whole .....draft a Guy for Him to sit in todays NFL.
    1st: New players come out every year , and You have No idea where You maybe draft from one year to the next...So...why worry about a guy for 4 years into the future. Hell You maybe in position to draft that Position high.
    2nd: So You are wasting a draft pick on a Guy that can't even be Your backup??? Talk of wasting picks.
    3rd So let's say You get lucky ,and He finally develops after 3 Years....So now You get what....one year before You have to pay Him a big contract??? After all this.
    JMO, but it seems like a big waste.
     
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  19. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    Agreed, but that was the only way any team was going to get something out of Willis. There was just no way he was going to be ready to play as a rookie, and it showed when they actually tried starting him.
     
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  20. Steel_Elvis

    Steel_Elvis Staff Member Mod Team

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    I disagree. None of the rules of other positions apply to QBs. Teams trade 2-3 first round picks and commit huge cap dollars to get “the guy.” If you can draft a guy in the 3rd round that you think has a chance of being “the guy” in 2-3 years, it’s worth it.
     
  21. burghfan58

    burghfan58 Well-Known Member

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    I agree, Malik Willis was viewed as a QB project and not an immediate starter. I don't think there was an injury involved with Willis, but it says a lot about his ability and lackluster play they brought in Josh Dobbs and played much better than Willis.
     
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  22. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    There was no injury. Willis just sucked, and this was even with the offense drastically simplified for him.
     
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  23. S.T.D

    S.T.D Well-Known Member

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    So You are telling Me You would be happy drafting the Florida kid at Qb in round 3 (hoping He amounts to something later, and not use Him as a backup)....instead of filling spots We actually need on the field???
     
  24. HeinzMustard

    HeinzMustard Well-Known Member

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    Steelers made the right choice with Pickett over Willis. I admit... I wanted the Steelers to wait until this year to select a QB in the first round while believing QB would be OK in '22 with Trubisky and Rudolph. I wanted a DE, OT or ILB in first round in '22 draft. In hindsight, I'm glad we drafted Pickett. I can't believe there were people here wanting to draft Willis in the first round. :facepalm:
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2023
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  25. Steel_Elvis

    Steel_Elvis Staff Member Mod Team

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    No. I’m talking about for a team that is looking for their future starter, and only if that team believes that the available QB has a chance to develop into their long-term starter. That’s not the Steelers.

    Also, I think Richardson is a boom or bust type of player, but he is further along than Willis was last offseason and has far more upside, so if I were drafting for a team with a QB need I may take a chance if I could get him outside of the Top 10 without trading up.
     
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