Tennessee Titans Draft Kentucky QB Will Levis No. 32 in 2023 NFL Draft
Expert Analysis 4/28/23
The wait, far longer than most anyone expected – particularly Will Levis – is over for the Kentucky quarterback.
It ended quickly Friday night.
Levis (scouting report), projected by some to be the second player chosen in the opening round of the 2023 NFL Draft, lasted until pick No. 33. The Tennessee Titans traded with the Arizona Cardinals, then grabbed Levis, whose slide was well-documented throughout the media (legitimate and social) as he sat in the green room in Kansas City the previous evening.
>> DEBATE: Why Did Levis Fall?
Music City could be a sweet place for Levis. There shouldn’t be too much pressure on him initially because the Titans have a veteran starter in Ryan Tannehill. They also have star running back Derrick Henry as the offense's focal point.
"It’s even better when you see that he was taken by the Tennessee Titans because that’s a good spot for him," The 33rd Team analyst Joe Banner said. "The Titans have a strong coaching staff and a solid quarterback who will start for another year. But he’s not the long-term answer. Levis might be. That’s why I say this is a perfect spot for Levis. He’s going to a team with a strong offensive line that added a player Thursday (Northwestern tackle Peter Skoronski) I really like, making that line even stronger. Plus, the Titans like to run the ball, which is good for a young quarterback. It gives him more time to process and figure things out."
Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Florida’s Anthony Richardson going early in this draft was not much of a surprise. Carolina took Young first overall, Stroud went with the next pick to Houston, and Indianapolis used the fourth spot for Richardson. Meanwhile, Levis anxiously awaited hearing his name announced Thursday night. It never came.
Although Banner likes Levis' landing spot, he wasn't overly impressed with Levis' film or surprised the Kentucky signal caller fell out of the first round.
“His tape is not great. I don’t think Levis is a good decision-maker, and he is inaccurate," Banner said. "So I’m not surprised he fell part of the way; I thought maybe it would be to between 15 and 20. Once he got past Washington at 16, there was really nobody who needed a quarterback. Teams were interested in him, just not enough to trade up into the first round.”
On Friday night, when many teams are eager to get toward the top of the second round for players they might have graded as first-rounders, Tennessee made the boldest move.
“He is a hard evaluation,” said former Jets and Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum, a contributor to The 33rd Team. “I saw some Ben Roethlisberger in Levis and some Brady Quinn in his game. He’s competitive and strong and tough and makes great plays, but we also see inaccuracies and that he forces the ball in.”
Not to be forgotten would be this draft history: Brett Favre, who also went 33rd overall, Drew Brees, Boomer Esiason and, to be more current, Jalen Hurts, all were second-round selections.
“As we saw,” Tannenbaum added, “the difference between the third and fourth quarterback can be a whole round. Going in the second round is not a bad thing.”