If Will Levis can turn Offseason Hype to Production, Book your Trip to Atlanta

The dust is still settling on the 2022 NFL Draft. Draft gurus will cling onto the limelight a little longer by looking ahead to the 2023 NFL Draft class. In each and every one of those “Way too Early” first round mock drafts you will find Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.

Will Levis in 2023 Mock Drafts

CBS Sports: No. 5 overall, New York Giants — “Levis is tough and can absolutely spin it. A good campaign in the fall will have him in the first-round conversation.”

Bleacher Report: No. 6 overall, Carolina Panthers — “Kentucky’s Will Levis brings arguably the class’ best combination of size (6’3”, 232 pounds), arm talent and functional mobility. “

Pro Football Focus: No. 8 overall, Seattle Seahawks — “Levis opened a lot of eyes with his emergence after transferring from Penn State to Kentucky last season. He finished with a 90.6 overall grade in now-Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s offense.”

The Draft Network: No. 6 overall, New York Giants — “Levis is built like an action figure with terrific mobility and arm talent. Head coach Brian Daboll had a lot of success with a player like that in Buffalo.” 

Turning Tools into Production

The offseason has been kind to Will Levis. He’s cashing in with NIL and receiving VIP treatment at The Masters and the Kentucky Derby. The hype is not all bells and whistles. NFL scouts perked up when they saw him sling the ball around at UK’s pro day. For draft analysts not in the building, they saw the quarterback make some impressive “arm talent” throws while breaking down tape of Georgia’s five first round defensive players.

The buzz surrounding Levis isn’t just coming from the professional ranks. Although he will not state it it publicly, Rich Scangarello has told some confidants that Levis is the most talented quarterback he’s ever coached. Keep in mind, last season he was the quarterbacks coach for Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers’ signal-caller for Supper Bowl LIV.

All of that is talk. Levis has the tools and the hype. This fall he must turn all of those gifts into production. What does that look like?

1. Cut Back on Interceptions — Even though you can remember how many balls bounced off a receivers’ hands into the opponents’, 13 is still too many. With a year of starting reps under his belt, that number can be cut in half.
2. 70% or better Completion Percentage — Last year he was at 66% with two players carrying the entire receiving load. By improving the depth in the wide receivers’ room, Levis should be able to exceed this modest target.
3. Improve Deep Ball Accuracy — The first two games of 2021 featured a number of bombs to Wan’Dale Robinson and Josh Ali, but dwindled throughout the year. According to SEC Stat Cat, only 35% of his attempts of 20+ yards were accurate. Levis needs to narrow the scope on his rocket arm.
4. Just Win, Baby — You can’t climb draft boards only in the offseason. Prime time wins in big moments can drive the Levis hype train off the tracks.

Levis has done all of the right things in less than a year on Kentucky’s campus. If he can harness the hype and continue his upward trajectory, the Cats will have the second-best quarterback in the SEC. Combine that with a host of offensive weapons and returning talent on defense, you have a recipe for an SEC Championship contender.