As the 2023 NFL Draft reaches Day Two, the big question everyone wants to know is, what’s up with Kentucky quarterback Will Levis? The former Wildcats QB was widely expected to be a top draft pick, possibly as soon as the fourth overall pick, to the Indianapolis Colts.
While we know now that didn’t happen, as the Colts’ front office, led by GM Chris Ballard and first-year head coach Shane Steichen, decided to take Anthony Richardson, the QB with arguably the highest upside in the class instead.
Surely, another team would quickly step to the plate and end Levis’s freefall shortly after, right? Nope.
Teams who seemingly had a need for a QB, either right away or for the future, continued to pass on Levis, with the Titans at 11, the Commanders at 16, and the Vikings at 23, among others.
Instead, Levis is still on the clock heading into Day 2, or the second and third rounds of the draft. This puts the Pittsburgh Steelers on the clock with the 32nd overall pick, yet after selecting Kenny Pickett in the first round in 2022, Levis won’t be landing in the Steel City.
The same goes for Arizona at 33 with Kyler Murray still just 25 years old. Perhaps the most reasonable landing spot for Levis, barring a trade, comes at No. 34, when the Detroit Lions pick. Yet, with Jared Goff returning to Pro Bowl form and still just 28, QB doesn’t appear to be an immediate need for a team seeking the NFC North crown.
That leaves the Colts, who have the 35th overall pick. Most would assume Levis isn’t even on their radar any more after landing Richardson, who will receive every opportunity to become the starter from Day One. The Colts still have freshly signed veteran backup Gardner Minshew and third-year pro Sam Ehlinger on the roster, which is an indication that they already have three capable QBs on the roster and plenty of other needs to fill, like providing Richardson with more offensive weapons.
Related: 2023 NFL mock draft Day 2: Will Levis, Hendon Hooker come off the board early
Could the Indianapolis Colts do the unthinkable and draft Will Levis?
Except, Colts team owner Jim Irsay is throwing everyone a curveball on Friday by asking the Colts fanbase whether the organization should double down on drafting quarterbacks. Specifically, Mr. Irsay wants to know if the fans would select Levis with the Colts’ second-round pick later today. He dubs it as the “Montana – Young” approach, but that’s really not what this is.
While it’s true that quarterback is the most valuable position in football, Irsay is walking a fine line, if he’s serious at all. The Joe Montana, Steve Young situation was quite different in that Montana was on the back nine of his career, already 30 years old when Young was added via trade.
This situation would be closer to what Washington did back in 2012, selecting Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick, then selecting Kirk Cousins with the 102nd pick later in the fourth round. Teams rarely spend this much draft capital at the QB position in one season.
Coaches would then have to spend their time trying to develop not one but two quarterbacks, trying to get them up to speed. It’s also perhaps an indication that the Colts aren’t 100% sold on Richardson becoming a starting-caliber QB. Teams don’t spend second-round picks on backups.
As the old saying goes, if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any at all. Should the Colts actually decide to take both Richardson and Levis, fans would have a built-in excuse to call for a QB change at the first sign of struggle. For a prospect like Richardson, who may experience plenty of growing pains, that would not be an ideal way to begin his NFL career. We’ll see if Irsay is bluffing or not soon enough.