Will Levis makes Top 10 of CBS Sports' 2023 NFL Draft Big Board
Will Levis‘ draft stock remains high. This morning, CBS Sports released its early big board for the 2023 NFL Draft, and Kentucky’s starting quarterback is No. 6. Even though Levis is the third quarterback on the list behind Ohio State‘s C.J. Stroud (No. 2) and Alabama‘s Bryce Young (No. 4), Josh Edwards opines that he has the most natural talent of the three.
“As much as these quarterbacks are talked up, there is not a player that is just a slam dunk No. 1 overall selection like Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Luck or John Elway before him. Each has talent, but also deficiencies. Stroud and Young are also, in fact, young and still have time to work out some aspects of the game. Levis has more natural talent than any other at the position but needs to iron out some lower body mechanics.”
Last week, ESPN’s Jordan Reid also joined the Levis fan club, listing him as one of the five quarterbacks to know in college football this season.
“Levis has a snappy three-quarter release, and the ball comes off his hand with energy and velocity. He is at his best when he can turn his back to the defense on play-action passes, reset his eyes and assess the defense. And Levis is also a competitive runner who is fearless when escaping the pocket.”
Like Edwards, Reid notes some concerns with Levis’ lower body, specifically his hips, which could contribute to his high turnover rate.
“A lot of his deficiencies center around a lack of back hip rotation, which results in erratic accuracy. Levis has only three games over 13 starts in which he didn’t throw an interception. He needs to show more confidence with exhausting all options on progressions, as he tends to prematurely give up on passing concepts and immediately turn into a determined runner. When breaking containment, he loses sight of targets and falls back on his running ability. Levis depends on overpowering and challenging tacklers, but also he needs to better protect himself when working outside of structure. I’d like to see him keep his eyes looking for reappearing targets while on the run.”
Only 82 days until we see Levis take the field in Kentucky’s season opener.
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