Ryan Leaf Explains Why Will Levis ‘Won’ the First Round by Going Undrafted

The former No. 2 pick thinks Thursday’s freefall is the best thing that could’ve happened to Levis.

The first-round of the 2023 NFL draft produced a number of notable storylines. Unfortunately for Kentucky’s Will Levis, his slide into the second round is among those garnering the most attention after Thursday night.

For Levis, a widely projected top-10 pick who was even the subject of some strange “No. 1 pick” rumors heading into the first-round, falling this far may seem like failure. Former No. 2 pick Ryan Leaf, perhaps the most famous NFL draft “bust” of all-time, says it is exactly the opposite, arguing that Levis “won the first-round” by ditching the expectations that come with a high selection.

In a Good Morning Football segment on the winners of the first-round, Leaf made his case, stating that Levis did not have a first-round grade from many around the league, and that a high pick would have set him up for failure.

“Mine is a bit of a departure, O.K., simply because I believe that Will Levis won the first round,” Leaf said. “If he were a top five pick, the word ‘bust,’ if it doesn’t work out, is something that I can relate to. And it sticks with you.”

Who "won" round 1 of the #NFLDraft ??@RyanDLeaf says it was actually 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘓𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴 pic.twitter.com/gjZfQktW3j

— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) April 28, 2023

Leaf cites Drew Brees and Derek Carr as former early second-round picks that didn’t enter the NFL with the pressures of being a first-rounder, and succeeded early on. 

“Adversity like that, maybe humiliation like that, you grow from it. You learn how to deal with it in a positive and healthy way, just like what it’s going to be like to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Because you’re going to fail, you are, on the biggest stage possible. And when you don’t have those unrealistic expectations, I think this is a huge thing for Will Levis, and I think you can look at it as an entire positive moving forward,” Leaf continued.

“You can still be the greatest quarterback to ever play and not be drafted in the first round. Look at Kurt Warner. Look at Tom Brady. It’s all available to you. The expectations don’t exist.”

The second day of the 2023 NFL draft kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on Friday. Levis will reportedly not be in attendance for a second day, but is projected to be one of the top players available in the second round.