Daniel Jeremiah Pegs Malik Willis, Matt Corral as Potential Steelers Targets

The Steelers’ fervent quarterback search is underway already. There has been plenty of hype for veterans, Mason Rudolph talk, and a bevy of information connecting the Steelers to names in the 2022 NFL Draft. However, nothing concrete has been made yet with the advent of free agency looming on the calendar.

More importantly, with the NFL Combine coming up in a few days. NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah held a conference call prior to the combine, and was asked about his thoughts on the upcoming Steelers quarterback situation. There were two names that decisively stick out to Jeremiah as natural fits within the Steelers’ needs. Those two would be Liberty’s Malik Willis and Ole Miss’s Matt Corral.

“Corral, we haven’t really talked about Corral much on this call, but he’s intriguing because he’s a little undersized, but really, really athletic,” Jeremiah said. “Everything is quick: Quick feet, quick release, quick eyes. He can give them some of the athleticism it looks like from listening that’s something they’re really after, and that’s why you hear Willis’ name mentioned. Corral is not as big, not as strong, but he can probably throw it a little bit better, a little more consistently at this point in time, and he does give you some of that athleticism to be able to move around. So, the more you kind of look at the Steelers and what they’re looking for, maybe Matt Corral is one of those names you could pay attention to.”

Jeremiah notes Corral’s natural tools along with Willis’. In his latest mock draft, Jeremiah mocked Willis to the Steelers with their 20th overall selection. Corral’s name is new, and he was not at the Senior Bowl, but he checks off the mobility box that the Steelers have talked about so hard. As for Willis, this is what Jeremiah thinks of the dynamic quarterback’s skillset.

“In terms of the upside, I don’t know how you’d see anybody other than Malik Willis just in terms of what he can do once he gets it all figured out, but he’s got a huge arm,” Jeremiah said. “Not real tall obviously, just a little over 6 feet tall, but he is built. He is a powerfully built guy who can drive the ball. You saw it at the Senior Bowl when it was raining and everybody else was struggling. He didn’t have any issues whatsoever. This guy can really power the football. He can make off-platform throws. He can create. You can use the — you know, design quarterback run game with him and he’s outstanding with that. He’s just so strong and physical. I think he would be the one with the most upside.”

At this point, it is anyone’s guess which route the Steelers will go. In fact, they could sign a quarterback and draft one as a two-pronged strategy. It will be interesting to see just how much the Steelers are enthralled by this group, but they could easily defer to what appears to be a talented 2023 group.