At the end of the 2021 season, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis could probably feel the spotlight burning down on him. He had just finished a breakout junior season that put him firmly on the map for the 2023 draft — and some even had him marked as a sleeper for the No. 1 overall pick.
But then the 2022 season happened and Levis, without top target Wandale Robinson and two offensive linemen who heard their names called in the draft, struggled a bit. Yes, the arm strength and athleticism were still present — but so were the fear-inducing inconsistencies that keep decision-makers up at night.
When I watched some Levis tape, it was a total rollercoaster. On one hand, he makes some throws that look like NFL throws — and he does it with all the prototypical size you could hope for. But on the other hand, some of the interceptions are head-scratchers that make me question what in the world he saw and was thinking. It’s worth noting that Levis’s tape looks different from Bryce Young’s and CJ Stroud’s in that his receivers never seem to be open and he’s always under pressure. He also falls victim to some drops that probably would have helped him pad his stats a bit.
At the end of the day, I think Levis falls into the same category as Anthony Richardson — he’s a project with a high upside and a low floor. I think Levis probably has a higher floor than Richardson (his passing is far more developed), but he lacks the elite athleticism of the Florida quarterback. Whether or not the Las Vegas Raiders can trust Josh McDaniels to develop either is going to be a key question.
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 229 pounds
40-yard-dash: NA
Bench Press: NA
Vertical jump: 34″
Broad jump: 10’4″
College stats: 5,876 yards, 46 TD, 25 INT, 64.9% completion; 742 rushing yards, 17 TD
The completion percentage is surprising, I think, to a lot of folks who assumed it would be far worse. Yes, he’s inconsistent, but that number was inflated a bit by the number of screens, quick slants and check downs you see on tape. None of that is a bad thing, by the way, it’s just the reality of his situation.
As mentioned above, Levis has the size you’re looking for in a sturdy NFL quarterback. This is Justin Herbert-level stuff from a size and athleticism combination, it just remains to be seen whether he can put together the passing game that Herbert has developed.
VERDICT: PICK
This is the Raiders’ chance to find their signal caller of the future, and I think Levis falls into the bucket of guys I would absolutely take a swing on if the chance presented itself. Would I feel awesome about it? No. Is there a high chance of this blowing up in their face? Absolutely. But if you want to win consistently, you have to take your swings, and Levis has enough “good” on tape to get me to buy in a little bit. I don’t think he’s in the class of Young and Stroud, but I think there are compelling cases between both him and Richardson as to who should be the No. 3 quarterback in this class.
