ESPN insider believes NFL floor is higher for Stetson Bennett than Will Levis

After coming in with high expectations, Will Levis and Kentucky have had a rough go this year. But Levis still finds himself projected as a top NFL Draft pick, and this week’s game against Georgia will pit him against a quarterback in Stetson Bennett who’s having a strong year.

ESPN and SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers thinks Levis can still be a top-10 draft pick. However, Bennett has the higher floor right now.

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“In the NFL, you don’t draft on production,” Rodgers said on “The Paul Finebaum Show” Friday. “Otherwise, Stetson Bennett would be talked about as a first-round draft pick. You draft on tools, you draft on ceiling. You don’t draft on floor.

“Stetson Bennett’s floor? Way higher than Will Levis. Probably higher than a lot of the guys in this entire country. The ceiling, though, is what people draft on. It’s what they love with. Right or wrong — I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. You’ve got to find a happy medium. But Levis and the receivers got to step up or it could get ugly.”

Bennett ranks second in the SEC with 2,895 passing yards to go with 14 touchdowns this year, while Levis has thrown for 2,012 yards in eight games and 16 touchdowns. Still, he came in as the projected No. 3 overall pick in Pro Football Focus’ latest mock draft last week.

Kentucky takes a 6-4 record into this week’s game against undefeated Georgia, and the Wildcats are coming off a disappointing loss to Vanderbilt last Saturday. Rodgers said the up-and-down season is due, in part, to the youth on the roster, especially outside. He said Kentucky has weapons, but they’re young.

Then, he provided a possible diagnosis for Levis’ down year.

“One reason I do think is they are young on the outside. They’re young around Will Levis,” Rodgers said. “And Will Levis has had the weight of a top-10 pick, a top-five pick on his shoulders, and when you have a game that you struggle in and everyone’s saying, ‘Well, you’re going to be a top pick.’ Now, you start to force things, and I think that’s what he’s doing a little bit.

“I think at times, he’s forcing things because he wants to make those big plays and he’s capable of making those big plays because he wants to match the projection that have for him to what they’re seeing on the field and it’s just not lining up right now.”