ESPN projects Will Levis as Top 10 pick in 2023 NFL Draft

On3 image — Photo by Brendon Miller | Kentucky Sports Radio

The 2022 college football season has just about wrapped up, which means mock draft season is about to be upon us.

On Wednesday morning, ESPN’s NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid unveiled his latest 2023 NFL mock draft for all 31 first-round picks. Using ESPN’s Football Power Index to determine the draft order, Reid projects Kentucky quarterback Will Levis to land on the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 7 overall pick. The 6-foot-3, 23-year-old signal-caller has been labeled as a potential Top 10 pick since the preseason and was recently forecasted as the No. 6 overall pick to the Detroit Lions by ESPN senior writer Todd McShay just a few weeks ago.

According to Reid’s mock, Levis would be the third quarterback taken off the board, going after Alabama’s Bryce Young (No. 1 overall to the Houston Texans) and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud (No. 5 overall to the Indianapolis Colts).

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Below is what Reid had to say about Levis potentially landing with the Raiders.

7. Las Vegas Raiders (6-10)
Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
It seems the Derek Carr era is over in Las Vegas, so coach Josh McDaniels will be searching for a new signal-caller. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Raiders look toward the veteran market for their solution, considering there will be a good deal of pressure in the building to win in 2023, but Levis’ excellent physical traits could prove too intriguing to pass up. At 6-3 and 232 pounds, he has a huge arm and some power-rushing ability on QB keepers, but his turnover woes and poor decision making have been constant issues (23 interceptions over the past two seasons).
Biggest needs: QB, OL, DL
Jordan Reid, ESPN

After spending his first two years of college at Penn State, Levis transferred to Kentucky ahead of the 2021 season in search of a bigger role. He quickly earned the starting job for the Wildcats and went on to play 24 games during his junior and senior seasons in Lexington. Levis totaled 5,232 passing yards and 43 touchdowns to 23 interceptions while at Kentucky, including a completion percentage of 65.7 percent.

The last time Kentucky produced a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft was when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected LB Josh Allen No. 7 overall in 2019. Prior to that, you’d have to go all the way back to 2003 when DT Dewayne Robertson was picked No. 4 by the New York Jets. The last Kentucky QB drafted in the Top 10 was Tim Couch, who was taken with the top pick by the Cleveland Browns in 1999.