Will Levis Not Taken In First Round – The Best NFL Fits For Him Tonight

Many were shocked when Will Levis’ name did not come off the board in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft – but tonight could be a good opportunity for a team to land a franchise quarterback.

Thursday night, a total of four quarterbacks were taken.

Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud, and Bryce Young were picked in the top four and a quarterback was not taken the rest of the night.

According to ESPN Analytics, Levis had a 92% chance of getting picked inside the top 10 – let alone the first round.

But instead, the night featured various camera shots of the Levis anxiously waiting inside the NFL Draft green room to get a phone call.

As to why Levis was not even selected in the first round is not clear.

But ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that one team thought the two games he missed in 2022 for the Kentucky Wildcats with a left toe injury was “problematic.”

And another NFL organization thinks Levis could manage through the injury but could potentially need surgery.

The other reason why Levis might have been passed up in the first round is that teams wanted to fill other needs and didn’t want to take a waiver on him.

As far as his talent goes, the book on Levis is that he has all of the tools from arm strength to athleticism to be an elite-level quarterback in the NFL.

But his issue has been consistently putting it together.

Now, that sounds similar to Hall of Famer Brett Favre and potentially future Hall of Famer Josh Allen.

Both struggled with accuracy coming out of college – only completing around 55% and 56% of their passes respectively in their final seasons.

So a team will need need to properly develop Levis and make sure his surroundings are comfortable.

As for the best fit, that could be a team that does not have a long-term option at quarterback.

This includes the Las Vegas Raiders, and perhaps the Tennessee Titans. The Lions are set to pick 34th and the Titans are scheduled to pick 41st.

But there could be a team out there that has Levis rated high that does not have a need for a quarterback this year.

For example, that didn’t stop the Green Bay Packers from taking Aaron Rodgers 24th overall in 2005 despite having Favre.

While there are so many positions for teams to worry about in football – sometimes the strategy is to pick the best player available.

And finding a franchise quarterback is a tough task, as Levis is a 23-year-old with an intriguing skillset to entice teams – especially in the second round.

Also, don’t be surprised if a team trades up to come and gets Levis.

Article by Anthony Russo