Draft Notebook: Anthony Richardson seems to be passing Will Levis

All eyes were on the quarterbacks in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine. Florida product Anthony Richardson left the week as the big winner.

Some great testing numbers and high-level traits are reeling folks in. The class of 2020 signee may now be QB3 in this class with a shot at going No. 1 overall.

After a big week at the Indiana Convention Center, we’re digging deeper into the KSR football notebook. At KSR+, we touched on all of the players that made a big splash throughout the combine. Now it’s time to see how some of the Kentucky prospects are sitting with pro day looming in two weeks.

Mocks are moving Anthony Richardson ahead of Will Levis

Will Levis entered combine week with a great chance to secure the QB3 title and lock up a top-10 selection. The Kentucky product did the latter after a solid week in Indianapolis, but Anthony Richardson seems to have passed him.

We’ve seen a couple mock drafts hit the world wide web this week after the combine finished on Monday and both have Richardson going off the board before Levis.

ESPN’s Todd McShay has the Indianapolis Colts (Bryce Young) and the Las Vegas Raiders (Anthony Richardson) both trading up as three quarterbacks go off the board in the first four picks. The Carolina Panthers hold their ground at No. 9 overall and take Will Levis.

“He battled injuries last season at Kentucky, but teams will wonder if they can fix his mechanics and ball placement, which contributed to 23 interceptions over the past two years,” writes McShay. “He has so much ball velocity, but he has to get better at knowing when to take something off.”

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler also had Anthony Richardson going off the board at No. 4 overall with the Carolina Panthers trading up. Will Levis falls to No. 7 where the Las Vegas Raiders hold the pick.

“The Raiders have been very open about their desire to draft a young quarterback, and Levis is a potential fit,” writes Brugler. “The Kentucky passer has outstanding physical traits, smarts and toughness, which all would be appealing to head coach Josh McDaniels.”

The draft is under two months away and Levis is trending towards a top-10 pick, but he could be the fourth quarterback to come off the board.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. skips field testing in Indianapolis

Will Levis put on a show in on-field workouts on Saturday afternoon. When the tailbacks took the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Chris Rodriguez Jr. was missing.

The class of 2019 only competed in the bench press (19 reps) on Monday deciding to sit out of the athletic testing and on-field workout due to an unspecified reason. Rodriguez is expected to be in action at Kentucky’s pro day on March 24.

Carrington Valentine pulls out after strong start

After just three years at Kentucky, Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller product Carrington Valentine declared for the NFL Draft. The outside cornerback was ready to test himself against the best of the best. The former three-star recruit looked the part in the explosive testing.

Valentine recorded a solid broad jump (10’8″) and vertical (39″) which has him in the mix with the rest of cornerbacks. However, Valentine decided not to run or participate in on-field drills at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Similar to Rodriguez, that will make the pro day in Lexington a very big event for Valentine. The cornerback will need some strong speed scores to climb up draft boards as that is essential at the cornerback position.

March 24 will be a big day in Lexington.