Mel Kiper's latest mock draft features a surprising top-five trade
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. unveiled his third NFL mock draft on Tuesday, his first following the NFL Scouting Combine and the start of free agency. Four quarterbacks landed in the top five, with an AFC team making a surprising trade to secure one.
The draft expert projected the Indianapolis Colts to trade with the Arizona Cardinals, moving up from No. 4 overall to No. 3 to select Kentucky's Will Levis. In his latest prospect rankings, Kiper rates Levis as the draft's second-best QB and fourth-best overall player.
With the fourth pick, Kiper projects Arizona to select Alabama OLB Will Anderson Jr., which is a steal if such a deal happens.
"Levis, a 6-foot-4 QB with a huge arm who played in a pro-style offense at Kentucky, had an inconsistent 2022 season. He didn't play with elite talent, though, and he forced too many throws at times. Indianapolis has the playmakers to help him out as a rookie," Kiper wrote.
A Penn State transfer, Levis broke out in 2021 when he led Kentucky to a 10-3 record, throwing for 2,826 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
As Kiper noted, Levis' performance regressed last season, recording 2,406 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. However, the decline was partly due to the departure of the Wildcats' top two receivers from 2021.
Unless the Colts trade for Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, the team will draft a QB in April. New HC Shane Steichen's experience coaching gifted young passers makes him an ideal mentor for the raw, strong-armed Levis. Having coached Chargers QB Justin Herbert and Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts, Steichen is familiar with various play styles.
The Eagles didn't pass much last season because they constantly blew teams out, and Hurts took advantage of his rushing ability, something Levis doesn't provide. Ideally, Levis should be used similarly to Herbert, enabling him to showcase his arm. In 2020, Herbert's Rookie of the Year-winning season, Los Angeles attempted the fifth-most passes per game (39.2).
When reading Kiper's proposed trade, the comparison to Chicago trading up for Mitchell Trubisky in 2017 is difficult to avoid.
The Bears unnecessarily traded the Nos. 3, 67, and 111 picks in that year's draft, along with a 2018 third-round pick to select Trubisky second overall. The move seemed questionable then, but it looks even worse in hindsight, given the signal-callers drafted after him (Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson).
There doesn't seem to be a Mahomes or Watson in the 2023 class, so the Colts likely wouldn't be selecting Levis over a generational QB prospect.
Even so, jumping one spot for the Kentucky product might be a mistake for Colts GM Chris Ballard. Instead, Ballard should consider trading up to No. 2, where he could potentially pick Alabama's Bryce Young, who owner Jim Irsay endorsed.
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