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My Two Cents: Who Will Scramble to Draft Ignored Will Levis Early in 2nd Round?

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis thought he would be drafted early in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday, but instead everyone passed on him. With the second round resuming Friday, who's going to make a move to draft him, or will he sit even longer?

Tom Brew

My Two Cents: Who Will Scramble to Draft Ignored Will Levis Early in 2nd Round?
My Two Cents: Who Will Scramble to Draft Ignored Will Levis Early in 2nd Round? /
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Watching Kentucky quarterback Will Levis in the green room here at the 2023 NFL Draft was pure agony. One name after another got called, and it was always someone else. 

The night came and went with 31 players being drafted, and none of them were named Will Levis.

Stunning. And painful.

But also not completely surprising.

Levis, a Connecticut kid with college stops at Penn State and Kentucky, was considered a sure-fire top-10 pick. He was one of four quarterbacks who were expected to go in the first round, and there was even a lot of talk — and gambling dollars wagers — that he could go as high as No. 2 to the Houston Texans.

Levis walks and talks with a lot of swagger and bravado, and he feels like he was the best player in this draft. There were rumors floating around the hotel that he had even been telling people that Carolina was going to take him at No. 1 instead of Alabama's Bryce Young, which didn't happen, of course. Some Panthers folks told me he was never in play for that pick.

That's not really a fall, not going No. 1, but what came afterward sure was. The Houston Texans, who had the second pick, used a lot of subterfuge to get the guy they wanted, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. 

For a few days there, it looked like maybe the Texans liked Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. better and, as it turned out, that wasn't completely wrong. After they got Stroud off the board — negating a potential Titans trade with the Arizona Cardinals so they could take the NFL-ready Ohio State signal-caller — it was the Texans who traded with the Cardinals to get back up to No. 3. They got BOTH of their guys, trading up to take Anderson with the third overall pick.

The Indianapolis Colts then took Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick, passing on Levis as well. 

Then the wait began, and it went on and on and on.

Three hours later, and the first round was over. Levis was still in the green room, comforted by his mom and girlfriend intermittently. It was tough to watch.

We've seen the before of course, many times. We watched Aaron Rodgers go from No. 1 to No. 24 in 2005, when the San Francisco 49ers took Alex Smith instead of Rodgers at No. 1 and no one took a quarterback until No. 24 when the Green Bay Packers put an end to his misery. We've seen it with Brady Quinn too, and others as well.

Things turned out just fine for Rodgers, of course, and not so much for Quinn. That's the nature of football, and the nature of the draft. You only need one team to like you, but the other 31 who aren't interested can make for a long day.

There are teams lined up at the top of the second round who can look ahead for a quarterback answer for 2024. Maybe it does Levis some good to sit and learn for a year. The Rams, Seahawks, Raiders, Saints and Titans might all be interested on Friday night, now that the Levis price isn't so high.

Here's what the second round looks like right now:

  • SECOND ROUND 
  • No. 1 (32 overall) — Pittsburgh Steelers
  • No. 2 (33 overall) — Arizona Cardinals
  • No. 3 (34 overall) — Detroit Lions
  • No. 4 (35 overall) — Indianapolis Colts
  • No. 5 (36 overall) — Los Angeles Rams
  • No. 6 (37 overall) — Seattle Seahawks
  • No. 7 (38 overall) — Las Vegas Raiders
  • No. 8 (39 overall) — Carolina Panthers
  • No. 9 (40 overall) — New Orleans Saints
  • No. 10 (41 overall) — Tennessee Titans

Some of those teams could still figure Levis isn't worth the risk. There are many draft analysts who love him — most notably ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., — but others are so sure.

ESPN's Marcus Spears, who probably watches more SEC football than any of the networks's NFL analysts, said he ''never saw a first-round pick on tape'' on Friday morning after Levis didn't get picked. Dan Orlovsky, a former quarterback himself, said he ''never saw Levis raise the talent level of the players around him like a first-round pick should.''

That's all pretty scathing. The league made a pretty bold statement by passing on him Thursday night. Maybe he's just not that good.

He also made not be healthy, or at least not healthy enough to satisfy some teams. Levis missed time with a toe injury last year at Kentucky, and there were several reports that some teams were concerned that he will need surgery at some point.

That's the kind of talk that can torpedo a high pick. And now, we get a re-set tonight. The second night of fun here in Kansas City starts at 6 p.m. CT. with the second and third rounds taking place

All 32 teams have updated their draft boards and reassessed their needs. What happens with Levis will be interesting. Same with Tennessee's Hendon Hooker, who's coming off an ACL injury but was considered a late first-round option as well. 

There's still a lot of talent on the board, and don't be surprised if the trades don't come fast and furious, too, much like last night when six deals were made. Jockeying for position is a Friday night tradition.

For Levis, his time will certainly come tonight. Who knows when, and who knows who, but it will come. 

Then it's up to him. Plenty of quarterbacks have had great NFL careers without being drafted in the first round. You know the list, and it's long and distinguished.

Levis has to put all that bravado in check, and take what comes his way. He's got a lot to prove, know matter where he winds up.

But that's the case all the time anyway for quarterback. It's a ''show-me'' league. And now, he'll have to show somebody that he's worthy of their trust.

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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as a reporter and editor, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has been a top publisher at Sports Illustrated/Fan Nation for five years. He is a graduate of Indiana University.

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