This year’s draft class carries a very interesting quarterback class with it. There are a couple of standalone players at the top of the class, while the rest of the class is filled with some question marks. One of those question marks is the quarterback out of the University of Kentucky, Will Levis. He is one of the more intriguing players in this class. He’s been ranked across the board by scouts around the league. Will has seen rankings vary from the front of the first round all the way down to the middle and later rounds. Would Will Levis make sense for the Las Vegas Raiders? Let’s take a look.
Raiders Scouting: Who is Will Levis?
Levis spent the first three years of his college career at Penn State, redshirting his first year. Will got some playing time in 2019 and 2020. During those two seasons, he played well, but wasn’t among the top quarterbacks in the nation.
Then, before the 2021 season, he transferred to Kentucky, and his collegiate career took flight. In 2022, Levis started in 11 games, while throwing for 2,406 yards, along with 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and 8.5 yards per attempt. Levis had a 7-4 record in the games he played and led Kentucky to a victory in the Citrus Bowl over Iowa.
Strengths
Levis is big, at 6’4″, 230 pounds, so size won’t be an issue for him. With that size comes the extremely strong arm possessed by Levis, likely the strongest in his draft class. He also has a quick release and is consistently accurate in the intermediate and deep passing ranges.
will levis' tape is like if you gave a kid a bazooka pic.twitter.com/uNUwjazixt
— Austin Gayle (@austingayle_) February 22, 2023
Levis is relatively confident, as he trusts his arm a lot, and when he’s in a rhythm a defense will find it tough to throw him off. Will did throw 23 interceptions during his final two years in college, but when watching the tape, at least a handful of those can be blamed on the receiver.
Weaknesses
Levis is a big guy who’s decently athletic and has a quick release, yet his mechanics can still be a mess at times. Those will need to be improved, as will his tendency to give up on plays in the pocket too easily.
Will Levis is the gunslinger of the 2023 class. Here are his biggest throws set to the “Danger Zone†from Top Gun. pic.twitter.com/7OIhezYKWI
— Kyle Lindemann (@LuckIsMadeFF) February 26, 2023
Staying in the pocket, he tends to take too long to make decisions in the pocket. This can help him at times, but it largely resulted in interceptions, or Levis taking a big hit. While his arm is strong, he will need to develop a better level of touch to succeed at the NFL level, as he does have some issues trying to gun the ball into a small window.
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Draft Projection for Will Levis?
- Top Half/First Round
Pro Comparison:
- Ceiling: Josh Allen
- Floor:Â Jameis Winston
*Top Photo: Vicky Graff Photo