Will Levis projects to be a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, turnovers and decision-making have plagued the Kentucky quarterback during his collegiate career.
His struggles with holding on to the football were on display Saturday as he lost fumbles on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter of Kentucky’s 22-19 loss to Ole Miss.
Levis’s lack of ball security has become the biggest negative on his NFL scouting report, drawing a comparison to Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz by ESPN’s NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid.
Like Levis, Wentz was highly-touted in college. Wentz got selected second overall in 2016 by the Philadelphia Eagles. While he has been a starting quarterback throughout his career, turnovers in crucial moments have plagued Wentz’s pro career.
That’s whether fair or not. Wentz threw seven interceptions in a season four times. In his other two seasons, he’s thrown 14 interceptions (as a rookie) and 15 in 2020 – his last year with the Eagles.
Wentz has played a high-risk, high-reward style, highlighted since his 2017 ACL injury.
Those mishaps have led to Wentz getting traded in the past two off-seasons. A narrative of his untimely gaffes has followed him from Philadelphia to Indianapolis and now Washington, overshadowing his glamour plays.
Levis stands 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, great size for an NFL quarterback. His scouting report laminates his athleticism and strong arm. However, his mechanical flaws that lead to unnecessary contact and turnovers are also glaring.
In 2021, Levis threw 13 interceptions with 24 touchdowns in 13 games. This season, he has four interceptions in five games. Levis hasn’t thrown an interception in the last two games. Unfortunately, he found other ways to give the football to the other team with the two fumbles.
Then there are the sacks; three on Saturday and 19 on the season. Sounds familiar, right? Wentz was sacked an NFL-high 50 times in 2020. This season, he has been sacked 17 times in four games.
College players welcome NFL comparisons. But Levis may want to get away from the comparison to Wentz. The recency bias with Wentz could cloud get the evaluation of Levis.
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