Draft Notebook: Opinions vary on Will Levis

Pro day season is all but over. Free agency is pretty much finished. Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers still need to find landing spots, but we already know where the latter is headed (as long as the Jets don’t mess this up). The stage has been set for Will Levis to become Kentucky’s first quarterback to hear his name called in the first round since Tim Couch.

Or will he?

Opinions vary on the former Penn State transfer after Levis got a ton of attention at the NFL Scouting Combine and Kentucky’s pro day. The only consensus forming in the quarterback market seems to be that the Carolina Panthers or Houston Texans will land either Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud to begin the draft. After that this is anyone’s guess.

Mock draft rundown

Mock drafts are hitting the world wide web at a high pace this week. Will Levis appears to be all over the board with one media personality not including the Kentucky prospect in the first round.

— ESPN’s Jordan Reid: Las Vegas Raiders (No. 7 overall)

— ESPN’s Mike Tannebaum: Indianapolis Colts (No. 4 overall)

— ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.: Indianapolis Colts (No. 3 overall via trade)

— ESPN’s Todd McShay: Las Vegas Raiders (No. 7 overall)

— NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 19 overall)

— KSR+’s Mock Draft: Seattle Seahawks (No. 5 overall)

Most pundits have the Kentucky prospect going off the board in the top 10 as expected. However, Daniel Jeremiah has Levis nearly out of the teens and going to Tampa Bay to compete with Baker Mayfield for a starting gig in the NFC South.

However, NFL Media’s Bucky Brooks has Levis falling completely out of the first round.

“In my last mock draft, I had the Raiders select Kentucky QB Will Levis here, but that was before they signed Jimmy Garoppolo, whose presence as a veteran signal-caller enables Las Vegas to focus on taking the best player available to upgrade the defense,” writes Brooks.

The former Buffalo Bills draft pick and NFL scout has just three quarterbacks going off the board in the first round. Meanwhile, there is buzz building for Hendon Hooker as some are beginning to mock (Mike Tannebaum) the Tennessee quarterback into the first round.

For NFL organizations, this is often smokescreen season as decision-makers attempt to get the media off the scent of what their draft board might look like. The safe bet is still for Will Levis to go off the board in the top 10 because of the great need for quarterbacks in the NFL, but it’s clear that a fall could happen on draft day if a couple teams decide to pass early and no one else wants to use draft capital to make a trade up.

Will Levis has been hitting the gym

There is a lot of talking to do in draft prep, but most of the work evolves around getting bigger, stronger, and faster. There are specific football drills to sharpen up on, but this time period is really about getting into the best shape of your life if you are an NFL Draft prospect.

Will Levis is taking advantage of that opportunity. On Wednesday morning, the Kentucky quarterback showed off some of his workout progress on his Instagram story.

I think swole would be the correct word. At this point, any comps to Tim Couch would be fair as both former Kentucky quarterbacks are fans of weights and cardio.

Carrington Valentine had a strong pro day

Need a cornerback on your roster. The 2023 NFL Draft is a good time to need one. In my latest first-round mock, six cornerbacks were taken in the first 31 picks with there still being some good value left to evaluate in round two. That has created some tough competition for Kentucky cornerback Carrington Valentine.

The Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller product was a two-year starter at boundary cornerback playing in a zone-heavy scheme. However, the better fit might be in a man scheme for the former three-star recruit. In the pre-draft process, Valentine has flashed some high-level athleticism, according to Relative Athletic Score.

Valentine has solid size, but what really makes him stand out in this draft is his explosive athleticism. The draft prospect has big-time speed and jumping ability. At Kentucky’s pro day, Valentine also competed in short shuttle but those times have not been made public yet.

However, enough is there to make the junior a draftable prospect. Looking for Carrington Valentine to go off the board on Day 3. The prospect met with the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, and New York Jets at last week’s pro day.