Will Levis selected by the Tennessee Titans with No. 33 pick in NFL Draft

The unexpectedly long wait is over. Will Levis finally heard his name called in the NFL Draft.

With the No. 33 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans selected Will Levis, quarterback from Kentucky.

Levis was projected to go in the top five of the 2023 NFL Draft. The shocking fall from the first round is sending the former Wildcat to where we thought he may land on Thursday night, Tennessee. The Titans traded with the Cardinals to acquire the passer they passed on with the eleventh overall pick. In Nashville he will have a year to learn behind Ryan Tannehill amid the Titans’ rebuilding efforts.

Great pick, @Titans!@will_levis ➡️ #BBNashville | #NFLDraft – April 27-29 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/gwW14HzunD

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) April 28, 2023

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Will Levis Kentucky Career Highlights

A Connecticut native, the quarterback’s career began at Penn State. Stuck behind Sean Clifford, his career found new life at Kentucky.

Recruited by northeast native Liam Coen, the two found success targeting Wan’Dale Robinson early and often. The transfer tandem broke records as Robinson finished 2021 with the most receptions (104) and receiving yards (1,334) in UK single-season history. Levis capped off the year by rushing for four touchdowns against Louisville, then assisting Robinson en route to a record-breaking performance and a come-from-behind win in the Citrus Bowl.

Expectations were high following a 10-win debut as the Wildcats’ starter. Changes at offensive coordinator and on the offensive line prevented Will Levis from making a leap. Kentucky was ranked as high as No. 7 in the AP Poll, but late miscues and an injury at Ole Miss changed the trajectory of the season. Sacked more than any other Power Five quarterback, he played banged up for the rest of the year, capping off the season with another win over Louisville to finish with a winning record.

Will Levis was 17-7 as a starter at Kentucky and a perfect 4-0 against Florida and Louisville. He completed 65.7 percent of his passes, second only to Tim Couch in school history, totaling 5,232 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. He also rushed for 11 touchdowns as a Wildcat.

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Adam Luckett’s NFL Scouting Report

Will Levis is a traits-first prospect with a solid floor thanks to two years spent operating an NFL offense. That is where everything begins for the Kentucky product.

As a passer, Levis owns a short and compact release that is very tight. That allows the passer to get the football out of his hand with explosion. Levis delivers line drives with good velocity allowing him to pepper the ball on intermediate windows with the potential to hit extremely small windows against zone coverage. Levis provides value as a north/south runner that can excel on QB powers and draws. The power arm is also an excellent sneak artist making Levis an outstanding short-yardage weapon.

When looking for some areas of improvement, Levis struggled to play with anticipation waiting for play design to consistently getting targets open, and touch was often missing on more vertical passes. Walking the fine line between fastball and layered throws was somewhat tricky for the Kentucky prospect.

Levis is a good athlete for the position with the ability to make some big-boy throws. His familiarity with an NFL scheme will be attractive to franchises as he should quickly adjust to what his next offensive coordinator wants and needs. However, the lack of touch, inefficient ball placement at all three levels, and true secondary reaction playmaking are concerns.

The Kentucky quarterback is a first-round prospect with toughness and playing experience that will need to be tagged with a good running game early in his career as he attempts to refine the skills needed to excel as a drop-back passer (ball placement, anticipation, progression reads) in the NFL. Success could be found as a rookie in an efficient offense with a strong play-action plan that has QB run sprinkled in.