Todd McShay Explains Why Will Levis Fell Out of the First Round

Mel Kiper graded Will Levis as his No. 2 quarterback in the NFL Draft. He will not hear his name called until at least the second round of the NFL Draft.

In a shocking twist, the projected top five selection fell all the way out of the first round. Kiper’s ESPN counterpart, Todd McShay, typically served as the devil’s advocate, consistently pushing back against the UK’s quarterback’s pre-Draft hype. Thursday night he did not take a victory lap, but he did provide some insight as to why Levis may have fallen so far.

“He’s physicality gifted, he’s a flame-thrower, he’s got mobility, he’s built sturdy, he’s tough as nails, he’s an ultimate competitor. There are so many good things about Will Levis, but there were some negatives,” McShay shared with Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter.

“You look at the 23 interceptions the last two years. Only two guys were worse than him and they both had at least 300 pass attempts (per season) in Aidan O’Connell and Sam Hartman. So the percentage of turnovers was a big problem.”

In addition to turnovers, Levis got sacked a lot. Not every one of those 36 was completely the offensive line’s fault. Not only are those sacks an in-game problem, there are long-term concerns about his health, and not just the toe that Chris Mortensen reported about Thursday night.

“The biggest thing studying tape was inside the pocket when he was bottled up a little bit and pressure started to come, I don’t think he trusted his eyes and he didn’t quite see the whole field. That was a big issue. And listen, there were some reports — you don’t know who to trust this time of year, but apparently it was true — he came off as kind of not having an ideal personality, some arrogance, some cockiness in his meetings. That’s a team-by-team basis,” McShay said.

“But ultimately, the turnovers and the style of play too is an issue because he plays the quarterback position like a linebacker and we saw the toll it took on his body this past year. A lot of teams I talked to are worried he’s going to be a Carson Wentz case when it’s all said and done if he doesn’t learn how to protect his body better.”

Will Levis Red Flags from Albert Breer

The author behind Sports Illustrated’s Monday Morning Quarterback forecasted the precipitous fall. Hindsight is always 20/20, but the notes Albert Breer collected from NFL officials over the weekend line up with what McShay shared Thursday night.

“I view it as the three, then Levis,” said an NFC passing-game coordinator. “I think it’s a little unfair to group him with the top three guys. He has a powerful arm, and it’s a quick arm; there are a lot of revolutions on the ball. That part is pretty special. But I question the natural quarterback play.” 

Another NFC offensive coordinator did not use the specific “linebacker playing quarterback” analogy, but it checks out.

“There’s a block for me; he has scary s— in his background. He couldn’t win the job at Penn State; he’s a meathead weight-room guy … and watch him throw, he’s muscular and powerful, not fluid. Everything looks violent. And he took bad sacks, so you wonder how much the athleticism does for him, and where his feel and instincts are.”