Insider: Texans are high on Kentucky's Levis

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

NFL insider: Texans are high on Kentucky QB Will Levis

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 4/5/23

When NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein released his latest mock draft, he drew some heat for predicting the Houston Texans would go pass rusher with the No. 2 overall pick and then trade back up into the top 10 for their quarterback.

It likely wasn’t that Zierlein had the Texans taking Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson second overall or that he had them trading up to get a QB that caused a stir.

No, it was the fact that Zierlein — who says hinted his decision was based on what his sources had told him — believes Houston could favor Kentucky’s Will Levis over Ohio State’s C.J Stroud, who they passed on with the No. 2 pick, or Florida’s Anthony Richardson.

More hate from my own family. I told you it would be my least popular mock ever. pic.twitter.com/Za2WBFRTWj
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 4, 2023

Tomorrow morning on my radio show, we will be reading some of the replies to my latest mock draft. I don’t even think “mean tweets“ is sufficient to cover it.
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 5, 2023

“I just think that Will Levis is a guy, I’ve heard some buzz from some different sources in the league that the Texans are a team to watch with Will Levis,” Zierlein said. “If they trade up, he makes some sense from a standpoint of the offense that (offensive coorinator) Bobby Slowik is going to run. … So, I do think there’s something there with the Texans’ potential consideration of Levis. I think Levis has a high-yield, high-risk stock though…you have to bring him along the right way.”

Zierlein’s hypothetical scenario of course depends on the Carolina Panthers taking Alabama QB Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick. The Texans are believed to favor Young over any of the other three signal callers, and should he be the top pick, Zierlein says Houston believes Levis would be the best fit for their new offensive scheme over the others.

Levis is perhaps the most polarizing prospect in the 2023 draft. Scouts and draft experts seem torn on where the 24-year-old QB should be taken with some having him go as high as No. 3 overall while others believe he’s not even a first-round pick.

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