Much of the quarterback speculation for this year’s draft has concerned the order in which the presumed top two passers, Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, will hear their names called. Will Levis remains an intriguing option for a number of teams set to pick near (or at) the top of the board, though, and the Kentucky product has a busy visitation schedule ahead.
It came out earlier this month that Levis was one of several signal-callers Indianapolis hosted for a private workout, an avenue the team preferred to sending a heavy presence to their respective pro days. To little surprise, the Colts will take that one step further by hosting him on a formal visit Friday, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Levis will also meet with the Panthers and Titans soon, Wilson notes.
The Colts have shown interest in Young and Stroud, but it is widely expected the team will not be able to land either prospect since they hold the fourth overall pick. The Colts are seeking a long-term solution under center, something they have been searching for since Andrew Luck‘s retirement. Team officials have only marginally left the door open to a Lamar Jackson pursuit, something that would carry a massive cost in finances and draft capital; preferring a Levis selection would thus be understandable, in spite of the degree to which he is an unknown after his up-and-down performances with the Wildcats.
Carolina’s move up to the top pick allowed them to have a free choice of their top-rated QB. It appeared for some time that Stroud was the team’s preference, but they now appear to favor Young. In any case, Levis’ frame (6-foot-3, 222 pounds) gives him a profile that could appeal to new Panthers head coach Frank Reich, who has historically worked with larger pocket passers. A trade-down on the Panthers' part would likely need to take place for Levis to realistically be in their range.
Tennessee, on the other hand, has been linked to potentially moving up from the No. 11 slot to add a successor to Ryan Tannehill. The Titans drafted Malik Willis last year, but his limited game action wasn’t sufficient to demonstrate he would be capable of handling a starter’s role this year or next. Jumping ahead of the Colts might be necessary to secure Levis, but his market will likely depend on that of Anthony Richardson, the other X-factor at the position presumed to go on Day 1.
The Raiders (who own the seventh overall pick) have also hosted Levis, demonstrating the widespread interest shown in the former Penn State transfer. Maneuvering up and down the board in the top 10 may take place if teams key on Levis as a project worth a premium investment even though he was recently the subject of rumors that his draft stock was falling.
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