Could Commanders Trade Up for Kentucky QB Will Levis?

Will Levis going undrafted was the biggest surprise of Round 1. Could the Washington Commanders stop the slide and take him in Round 2?

Jeremy Brener | Apr 28, 2023

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Washington Commanders

The Pittsburgh Steelers will start Day 2 on the clock, but that might change before the pick is made.

According to NFL Network, the Steelers have been receiving a ton of calls for the No. 32 pick, likely for teams to trade up for Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. While there is no confirmed interest, there should certainly be speculation as to whether the Washington Commanders are hitting the Steelers' phone line.

The Commanders have expressed excitement towards 2022 fifth-round pick Sam Howell and signed Jacoby Brissett to give him a true chance at the starting job, but drafting Levis in the second round may be too valuable of a pick to make.

Levis was projected as a top-10 pick, one that could have gone as high as No. 2 to the Houston Texans. However, once Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson fell off the board in the first four picks, Levis began to slide.

Despite the temptation of taking Levis, Commanders coach Ron Rivera has stuck by his quarterbacks.

"We still have confidence in and very comfortable with is what we have at quarterback," Rivera said after the Commanders picked Emmanuel Forbes. "We think [QB] Sam [Howell] and Jacoby, and [QB] Jake [Fromm] for that matter, give us a good room right now."

The Commanders are on the clock with the No. 47 pick, right in the middle of the round, but given the high likelihood of trades in the second round, it's likely that Washington would need to trade up in order to acquire him. However, should he continue to fall and he's available without Washington needing to sacrifice future capital, it might be worth it to pick a player with franchise quarterback potential.

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Published Apr 28, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.