Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay again spar about where to draft Will Levis

With Todd McShay projecting former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis to slide out of the Top 10 of the 2023 NFL Draft in his latest mock, his ESPN draft running mate is officially at a loss. On a SportsCenter draft special on Tuesday, Mel Kiper Jr. proclaimed that he has “no clue” what his colleague thinks about Levis.

McShay projected that Levis would slide to No. 14, at which point the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would trade up and take him. As he explained the pick and logic, he already knew Kiper was ready to fire back.

“Listen, there’s a big discussion here. My boy Kip is getting all lathered up, I see the sweat on his forehead right now,” McShay said. “I love Will Levis’ size, his arm strength, his mobility. He’s got a heart of a lion. But there’s some things in his game like pocket presence, protecting his body, missing short throws because he’s bulked up and wants to be a lifter and not just a quarterback with the flexibility in the top. There are some things with Will Levis.

“And the interviews, I keep hearing, are not going great. So that’s why a little bit of a slide for Levis. But certainly, if developed right and in the right situation, he’s got a chance to be a good pro.”

Kiper, as McShay noted, was ready to fire back.

“Let him sliiiide!” Kiper said. “I love it. Hey, Justin Fields, what happened? He slid. He was my QB2 behind Trevor Lawrence, they went from 20 to 11 to get him. Josh Allen was my QB1, they went from 12 to seven, Buffalo did, to get him. Love what Todd did, go up and get Will Levis. He’s my QB2, barely behind Bryce Young. This almost guarantees him success in the National Football League. Despite all the haters that Josh Allen had, that Justin Fields had, and now Will Levis has. A ton of haters. He’s not a fifth rounder, guys, like people may lead you to believe.”

One big issue for McShay is that Levis is overly committed to lifting weights and having a bulky, muscular physique. He sees that hurting Levis on the field as he tries to make throws with touch or get the ball out quickly. He likened it to some of the troubles Brady Quinn had in the NFL.

“Listen, can you get him to work out and stop lifting and get him to stretch more? Have more of the Tom Brady regimen? Of course you can, if you force him too. But right now, you see it on tape, it matches up with that upper body tightness that he has,” McShay said.

At this point, Kiper was at a loss.

“I am more and more confused every time I hear McShay talk about Will Levis. I hear [Tim] Tebow, I hear Brady Quinn references. And I hear he really likes Will Levis. I have no clue what Todd McShay thinks about Will Levis right now. No idea,” Kiper said.