Red Flags Surround Will Levis Prior to 2023 NFL Draft

Kentucky’s Will Levis is one of the most polarizing prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft.

I’ve never been on board with the hype. Every time I’ve evaluated this quarterback (QB) on game film, I’ve landed on a grade between the fifth and seventh round. I felt his performance actually declined from 2021 to 2022 on game film despite Kentucky hiring 49ers’ Quarterbacks’ Coach Rich Scangarello as Offensive Coordinator this past season.

I’ve now evaluated 10 games spanning two seasons on Levis and I’m standing on my seventh-round grade. I have a 100 percent bust rate on Levis based on what he put on game film.

Several NFL media types are also sharing their concerns about Levis in a number of ways.

Even NFL teams have been said to have a concern over the reported fear Levis has of the sight of milk according to Yahoo.com:

“A legitimate concern NFL teams have with Kentucky QB Will Levis is his ‘deathly fear’ of milk. I’ve been told he screams in terror at even the sight of milk, let alone the taste. ‘It impedes his daily tasks,’ a source said. ‘I’m worried how he’ll fit in an NFL program,'” Jacob Infante, a lead NFL draft analyst, wrote in a tweet shared on March 3.

Todd McShay, ESPN

According to an article from Bleacher Report, this is what ESPN’s Todd McShay had to say following Levis’s pro day:

“That all said, you can still see the tightness in his mechanics, which aren’t a finished product. Levis’s placement on in-breaking throws wasn’t ideal, with some passes arriving behind receivers. Really, the workout reminded me of his tape. There were ‘wow’ throws, but then he missed on ball location on others.

“He has the traits to do so many things that [Bryce] Young and [C.J.] Stroud can’t, but evaluators are wondering if he will be able to figure out the mechanics. I’d like to see Levis work on his flexibility a bit, which would help him hit the layups and put the ball in the right spot with more consistency. Can he learn to keep receivers in stride with his timing and touch to maximize the production on each throw?”

Chris Simms (former NFL QB and NFL reporter)

Simms has his share of concerns about Levis in the following video breakdown he put on Twitter:

Dan Orlovsky (former NFL QB and NFL reporter)

Orlovsky tries his best to stay positive while pointing out some real concerns.

Colin Cowherd

At 4:35 Cowherd starts talking about a concern from one of his NFL sources.

What Cowherd is talking about

There’s more

According to that previously cited article, Bleacher Report’s Derrik Klassen “Levis’s accuracy is below average.”

Within that same article, The Athletic stepped into the conversation when Vic Tafur said, Levis’s mechanics and footwork “need work.”

Then there’s what NFL reporter Chad Forbes put out on Twitter:

Levis’s Draft Stock Falling

I always hold NFL.com to a higher esteem than any other draft platforms, because they have their hands on the pulse of league executives.

In Bucky Brooks (NFL.com) most recent first-round mock, Levis is nowhere to be found. That’s a very sudden pivot from Brooks’ first-round mock put out just one month ago when he had Levis going No. 7 overall to the Raiders.

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter has moved Levis down in his most recent first-round mock to No. 10 – – this to is a departure from a month ago’s mock when Reuter had him at No. 5.

NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has dropped Levis to No. 19 in his most recent mock. While the drop on Jeremiah’s board is not as extreme as Brooks, Jeremiah did have Levis at No. 7 to the Raiders on his mock a month ago.

Where there’s smoke…

No question, there’s information out there that should give pause to every NFL team when it comes to possibly selecting Levis.

That’s not even taking into consideration Levis had a 46-to-25 touchdown-to-interception ratio in college.

Then there’s the Vanderbilt (2-6) game.

Levis went 11-23 for 109 yards (47.8%) 1 INT, 0 TD, 4 sacks against the Commodores less than six months before the draft.

How do these facts translate to an even higher level of competition in the NFL?

Finally, there’s the question why couldn’t Levis beat out QB Sean Clifford at Penn State before transferring to Kentucky?

Clifford is viewed as an undraftable free agent by every draft platform in America in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.