Will Levis was picked by the Tennessee Titans as No 33 in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday. The Kentucky Wildcats quarterback, touted amongst the best of this lot, slipped through round one on Thursday amid reports that teams were concerned about his injury.
Levis was not in Kansas City for the second round. His disappointed face was going viral on social media. But the wait was not for long. The Titans traded up to get the pick. They sent No 41, 72 and a 2023 third-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for the 33rd pick and No 81.
Coming to the 2023 draft, Levis had the second-best odds to be the second overall pick. However, Bryce Young was No 1 (Carolina Panthers) and CJ Stroud went No 2 (Houston Texans). Anthony Richardson went fourth overall.
Levis threw 23 interceptions in two seasons. His accuracy has also been questioned. However, the 23-year-old’s built and arm strength wowed NFL franchises. In 2021, he completed 65.4% of his passes for 2,406 yards and 19 touchdowns. He had 10 interceptions.
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Will Levis can potentially be Tennessee QB Ryan Tannehill’s successor. The 35-year-old is entering the last year of his contract.
While Tannehill is impressive on his days, the quarterback has failed to deliver consistently. In the Titans’ last two playoff games – against Baltimore Ravens in 2020 and Cincinnati Bengals in 2023 – he had only two touchdown passes and four interceptions.
The Titans however have no plans to trade Ryan Tannehill.
“What does this mean for Ryan Tannehill? My understanding is no talk of trading him, but they can get out of his contract after this year. Expect Levis to be the understudy to Tannehill,” Ian Rapoport said on the NFL Network TV broadcast.
The Titans also have Malik Willis as a backup.
