Why is top QB prospect's draft stock falling?
Although Will Levis is a consensus top-four quarterback and a projected first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Kentucky signal-caller has been reportedly dropping down draft boards.
Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young are expected to go No. 1 and 2 overall, but after that, draft experts agree it’s Florida’s Anthony Richardson who’s ascended to the third-best QB option in the draft class.
Multiple reports indicate that NFL scouts and coaches question Levis’ ability to read defenses and are worried about his propensity for turnovers. The 24-year-old QB threw 23 combined interceptions in his two years at Kentucky, and he had only four games this season without throwing at least one interception.
“Levis is the one that worries me of those top four quarterbacks…mainly because when I watched Levis’ games, there's far too many turnover-worthy plays,” Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt recently said on “The Herd.”
“He's just careless with the football, he reminds me a little bit of Jameis Winston when he came out of Florida State. Remember all the interceptions that Winston had? And that has certainly perpetuated itself in his career in the National Football League. And I think it's one of the main reasons why he has suffered from a lack of consistency in his career.”
Charles Davis of Yahoo Sports shared Klatt’s concerns, stating that sources have told him they question Levis’ ability to process quickly and make good decisions while running an NFL offense. Levis had a lower completion percentage and took more sacks as a senior this year than he did during his junior year.
“Here’s what I can tell you about Levis: when you talk to teams, unquestionably they love his skill set,” Robinson said Thursday on “Robby & Rexrode.” “I think most everybody agrees that he has the best arm in the draft. But I think ultimately they’re like, ‘Look, there is a decision-making aspect of this that we can’t get away from, and it’s not like we’re looking at film and he’s playing with a team that is completely devoid of NFL talent.’”
While Levis may fall out of the top five, it’s unlikely he’ll fall out of the first round entirely. He’s still considered to have the strongest arm of any QB in the draft, and there are plenty of quarterback-needy teams outside of the top 10 including Tennessee (No. 11), Washington (No. 16) and Tampa Bay (No. 19) that could take a flier on Levis.
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