Will Levis will get numerous Josh Allen comps thanks to shared traits

The draft season ended last week and that means it’s speculation season here for a week or two before all eyes get focused on previewing the 2022 football season. Will Levis is becoming a popular name on recent mocks.

The redshirt senior is entering his second year as the full-time starter at Kentucky is currently viewed as a consensus top-10 pick, and is in the top conversation at quarterback following C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young. When projecting Levis to the NFL long-term, a specific comp keeps coming up.

Josh Allen was a star quarterback at Wyoming who was a part of the 2018 draft class. At 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, the California native had great size for the position to go with strong athleticism. Allen could be used in the QB run game, but what stuck out was his bazooka arm which has been one of the strongest cannons the NFL has seen in recent memory.

Development was needed after not playing with much talent at Wyoming, but Allen was drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 draft. After some struggles early on, the franchise cornerstone has blossomed over the last two seasons leading Buffalo to a pair of division titles and the Bills could be seen as the Super Bowl favorites heading into this year.

Some of that development over the last few years was done by Brian Daboll. The former Patriots staffer and Alabama offensive coordinator helped mold Allen into a star by enhancing his movement skills as a quarterback and providing concepts the Wyoming product could thrive in as the offensive coordinator in Buffalo.

Daboll is now with the New York Giants calling the shots as former Buffalo front office member Joe Schoen is running the NFC East organization. After deciding to not pick up the fifth-year option for quarterback Daniel Jones, it appears the Giants will be in the market for a difference-maker behind center after this season. Kentucky’s Will Levis could be just what that franchise needs.

In his first mock draft for the class, ESPN’s Todd McShay mocked Levis to the Giants at No. 8 overall. McShay then went on to explain why Levis could be a good fit in New York on “NFL Live”.

“I’ve tried to find a quarterback that had some sore of Josh Allen traits,” McShay told Laura Rutledge on Thursday. “Levis is 6-3, 235 pounds. Big, physical runner with a rifle for an arm. He can drive the ball down the field. Now, he’s sprayed some balls a little big like Josh Allen did in college at Wyoming, but there’s a lot to work with there in that system.”

The fact of the matter is that Will Levis has some big-time traits that the NFL will value heavily. The former Penn State transfer has size, movement skills, and a powerful arm with more than enough accuracy. As a prospect, this is a quarterback that can test the defense at all three levels of the passing game and create plays with his legs both in the designed run game or in scramble situations.

Josh Allen has provided the NFL with a blueprint. Schemes can be tailored to specific skillsets, and betting on athletic traits can payoff. Will Levis checks many boxes and will be in a group of top prospects as the NFL looks to find the next potential franchise quarterbacks for the 2023 draft.