Will Levis 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Will Levis has quickly become the wildcard weirdo of the 2023 NFL Draft class. Whether it be mayo in coffee or straight banana peels, Levis has proven he’s out there. Is that the recipe of a future franchise quarterback or bust? That’s what we’re here to talk about today. Here is your Will Levis 2023 NFL Draft profile!
I think a lot of people are forgetting something that’s really important here. Once upon a time, Levis was Penn State’s wildcat quarterback. Levis never showed enough to beat Sean Clifford out for the job and really was never considered a legitimate quarterback prospect. He was Ronnie Brown in the wildcat that could throw far. I just don’t know what the track record for success on that type of player is. There isn’t really one for the quarterback position.
Levis feels eerily similar to another quarterback project that was taken in the first round a few years ago. The combine performances for Jordan Love and Will Levis felt really similar. Both guys really crossing over themselves in a manner that simply shouldn’t be done. For Love’s combine, click here. For Levis’, click here. You will see what I mean from a mechanical standpoint. Both coming into the draft really flawed and work will need to be done to clean them up. Neither were ready to start day one either.
Levis was frequently mentioned in the stock report notes this year. In the link provided in the prior sentence, we did a full breakdown of what we were seeing from Levis during the year. Make sure to give it a read because a Todd McShay ricochet shot is included.
Just some other things people should really know. Arm strength is not the problem. Levis has enough juice to make any throw. It’s not A+ level but it’s not far off from that either. Athletically and physically Levis checks the box. He can run and is built. Big body too (6-foot-4, 229). Just a three star recruit but was talented enough for Penn State to be interested so it’s not like there was nothing there to work with.
People have zeroed in on the body builder stuff. To be a blunt as I possibly can be; you’re just uneducated if you have a problem with that part of it. Simple as that. No, there isn’t a lengthy track record of body builders in the Hall of Fame at the quarterback position. However, if you dropped Terry Bradshaw, Joe Namath, etc in today’s NFL, they would get cut. It’s just a reality. The fact that Jalen Hurts posted epic squat numbers was a good thing and turned out to be a good thing. Modern day athletes know the importance of the weight room and the training techniques have improved over the years. Embrace it or be left behind.
So production took a step back this year but so did his offensive line. This past year, Levis threw for 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also sat at above 65% for two consecutive years. Levis might be more accurate than he gets credit for but as I stated in the combine post, it’s only to certain parts of the field. Throws toward either sideline, he crosses himself up and trouble usually follows. Levis also played in a pro-style system and took snaps under center. The downside is his completion percentage were probably aided by a lack of air depth in target. Had a lot of dump offs in that system. While it was a short sample size, the completion percentage is much lower during his time with Penn State.
On the whole, Will Levis very much carries wildcard status heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. Levis feels like the more mobile modern day version of Jay Cutler but I’m not sure I’m even willing to go there. Cutler had very similar arm juice but was way more refined as a passer in college. Good luck. I have a third round grade on Levis full well knowing that he’s off the board by the time I’m on the clock.
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