It goes without saying that quarterback Will Levis was the most polarizing prospect in this year’s NFL Draft. No matter which scouts you read, listened to, or watched, it was almost exclusively either a love or hate viewpoint of the quarterback.
After Levis transferred from Penn State and put up good numbers for Kentucky in 2021, he was firmly in the discussion for the #1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft if he put up similar numbers in the 2022 college football season.
2022 arrived, and after adding mayonnaise to his coffee during SEC Media Days in July of 2022, college football season was here and it was a roller coaster season for Levis, highlighted by a horrendous performance against the University of Tennessee that saw him throw three interceptions against one of the best teams in the country.
Once the college football and NFL seasons ended, all the focus moved squarely onto the 2023 NFL Draft, and where was Will Levis in all of this? Certainly not on the mind of any fan whose team had a high draft pick and needed a quarterback.
Whether it was putting mayonnaise in his coffee, eating a banana with the peel on it, or not liking Levis as an actual player on the football field, it’s easy to get behind the #NeverLevis Team. As a fan of the Houston Texans, I was firmly on that #NeverLevis team before the draft. And when I attended the 440 Sports Draft party, which was at least 95% Tennessee Titans fans, almost everyone there was on that team as well.
The NFL Draft began, and it saw Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, and Anthony Richardson drafted within the first four picks, which resulted in Levis falling—quite a bit, as a matter of fact. Almost 24 hours later, the Titans traded up and drafted Levis with the 33rd overall pick. The immediate reaction to the pick was overwhelmingly negative, and that’s understandable to a certain extent.
We can talk about the concerns that come with Levis, which range from his hard-headedness in the pocket, him trying to do too much on the field, or his toe injury that was a concern late in the pre-draft process. Heck, we can even wonder about his Top 30 visits with NFL teams, which had them split based on his personality.
But at the same time, Will Levis has yet to step on an NFL field and prove what he can, and cannot, do, so let’s relax a little bit on the hate.
Can you imagine if Levis put up good numbers during the 2022 college football season? Everyone who saw videos of him drinking mayo-filled coffee and eating entire bananas peeling-and-all, would have said, “This guy is crazy and I love it. I’m going to get behind this guy.” And despite all the rage over those well-known videos, if you went to college and didn’t do some stupid stuff, can you really say you enjoyed your time in college?
I know we shouldn’t feel entirely bad for this kid, who had a very nice childhood, but you can’t help but feel for the guy being in the Green Room all night during Round 1 of the NFL Draft as he watched almost everyone around him get drafted while he waited….and waited….and waited.
Will Levis will undoubtedly have a chip on his shoulder going into this NFL season (who can blame him?), and if he learns a thing or two from Ryan Tannehill and then shows all that potential from the 2021 season, then Titans fans will be ecstatic and buy his jersey in droves. However, I, like many Titans fans and fans of the NFL in general, have my doubts about Levis at the pro level.
But for now, we can take two things from the selection of Will Levis:
- Let’s stop with the hate until he can show what he can do in the NFL once he gets there.
- The selection of Will Levis resulted in the best Twitter response during the entire three-day NFL Draft.
Sean Atkins is the EIC at 615 Film, President of the Music City Film Critics’ Association, and a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association. He’s also a devout (and sometimes punished) fan of the Atlanta Braves, Houston Texans, and all things Vanderbilt. Follow him on Twitter: @SeanJ8
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