School: Kentucky

Position: QB

Year: Redshirt Senior

The Good: Levis certainly has the intangibles in spades: size, athleticism, Hulk-like strength, psycho competitor, sells play action, etc. Sentences like that about prospects are usually followed with a quick “HOWEVER…” – and I do have many negatives to report about Levis – but I don’t want to undersell that Levis is legitimately uber toolsy for a quarterback and looks the part of a field general. He has a HUGE right arm; I tracked one flick-of-the-wrist throw that went 65 yards in the air. Levis has his fair share of throws to the sidelines on tape that generate “oooh ahhh” reactions, and he can split zone coverage with the best of them. When Levis makes a quick decision it’s usually quality, and that translates well to RPO game. Although I have a hunch that some of his displays of creativity on the field were premeditated or scripted, Levis still has flashed enough nuance to suggest that he’s a true QB and not merely a big-armed athlete being pigeonholed into the position.

The Bad: I expect things for Levis to go poorly through the air for his first 1-2 years in the NFL…if not longer than that. He’s generally inaccurate and, while whoever drafts him will surely get to immediate work on his footwork, I don’t think it’s wholly fixable with his release and chaotic approach to passing. He’s not natural at scanning the field and going through his progressions; that process usually comes along with pump fakes and/or flat-footedness in the pocket. His anticipation and timing aren’t good enough yet and that leads to some ugly decisions, particularly against zone. Levis also has a bizarre lack of feel at times, and that will translate to a high sack count with fumbles in the league. There isn’t much touch in his throwing arsenal either and I expected better deep ball results given his arm strength.

The Bottom Line: There is plenty of work ahead for Levis, though I wouldn’t label him a “project” in the sense that he’ll require time set aside with pro coaches just to get onto the field. Levis should be a 2023 Week 1 starter; he played in a pro-style offense at Kentucky and I have some confidence that he’ll pick up the playbook quickly. He should definitely land within an organization that is openly rebuilding though, and that team will have basically no alternative besides totally catering its offensive identity to Levis’ strengths. He has enough upside to be a good NFL starter in a West Coast offense with plenty of talent around him, but the floor is naturally quite low when you need to make qualifying statements like that about a kid who isn’t even in the league yet.

Grade: Late First Round / Early Second Round

Pro Comp: Blake Bortles

Games Watched:

• Missouri 2021
• Florida 2021
• LSU 2021
• Georgia 2021
• Mississippi State 2021
• Louisville 2021
• Iowa 2021 (Citrus Bowl)
• Florida 2022
• Ole Miss 2022
• Mississippi State 2022

Plays That Matter [LINK]