Danny Kanell says Will Levis is the "most overhyped quarterback of the last decade"

Peyton Manning, a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of football, believes Will Levis is the “real deal.” In fact, he says he “might have been genetically engineered to be an NFL quarterback.”

Danny Kanell, who threw 34 interceptions compared to 31 total touchdowns in six years as a quarterback in the league, believes the former Kentucky star is historically overhyped. He thinks people only like him because he looked good in shorts and a t-shirt at the program’s Pro Day, missing the stats from his senior campaign in Lexington — clearly the only thing he looked at when coming up with such a ludicrous take.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t understand the Will Levis hype as a top-five pick. This is the most overhyped quarterback of the last decade,” Kanell, now with CBS Sports, said. “It stems from something that really bothers me: when people fall in love with a quarterback based on how he looks in shorts and a t-shirt, throwing against air. Yeah, Will Levis dominated his Pro Day, but where did he dominate the game tape?”

Definitely not when he outplayed fellow projected top-five pick Anthony Richardson in The Swamp this past season. Or when he turned heads against Georgia’s top-ranked defense his junior and senior years. Five total touchdowns vs. LSU in 2021? Yuck. Over 400 total yards and five combined scores vs. Tennessee the same year? Nothing to like about that. Gritty win vs. No. 15 Iowa in the Citrus Bowl? Meh.

“Yes, you saw flashes of brilliance and you saw some wow throws, but more times than not, I saw a quarterback struggle with the basic throws. Routine throws, you want to make those look easy and you’ll get the wow throws later,” Kanell added. “Statistically, if you look at his season, it looks OK — 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. But you have to remember nine of those touchdowns came against MAC competition.”

Maybe the worst take among his long spiel of bad ones? His player comparisons.

“Everyone wants to project Will Levis as the next Josh Allen, but I think there’s a more likelihood he’s the next Jake Locker or, best case, Mitch Trubisky,” Kanell said.

.@dannykanell says Will Levis is the most overhyped quarterback of the last decade👀 pic.twitter.com/aV1ujUxN7c

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 17, 2023

Sure, ignore the endless injury issues for both Levis personally and those around him in 2022. Or the fact that Kentucky rolled out arguably the worst offensive line in the SEC — and the 37 sacks the senior quarterback had to take as a result. When he wasn’t injured, he was a nervous wreck in the pocket waiting for the next big hit. Never comfortable, never content, always looking over his shoulder.

Yet you have Anthony Richardson, the prime example of a player who everyone fell in love with during the pre-draft process “based on how he looks in shorts and a t-shirt, throwing against air.” Jumps into the top three while being compared to Cam Newton and Dak Prescott. No turning a blind eye to his inconsistent play, every benefit of the doubt there.

“I think you’re definitely ready for this next chapter,” Manning said of Levis.

I’ll take the opinion of the five-time MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion.