Former Penn State and Kentucky quarterback Will Levis opted not to attend Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft after falling completely out of the first round.
Levis was projected to go as high as No. 2 overall to the Houston Texans leading up to the draft. At the very least, most experts believed that the strong-armed quarterback wouldn’t last beyond the first 12 picks.
As Thursday night in Kansas City played out, cameras kept on scrolling to Levis and his family. It was not a great scene for the young man.
At long last, Levis is now off the board. The Tennessee Titans have selected Levis No. 33 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Tennessee had been looking to move up into the end of the first round Thursday night. Selecting No. 30 overall, the Philadelphia Eagles pushed back against moving that pick. Instead, they went with Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith.
Rumored to be interested in moving up in the second round to get things going on Friday, the Titans did just that with the Arizona Cardinals at 33 to land Levis.
Related: Will Levis and the top QB prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft
How Will Levis fits in with the Tennessee Titans
At 6-foot-4 and with above-average athleticism, Levis was viewed as a prototypical quarterback prospect through pretty much the entire pre-draft process. He showed out big time during the NFL Scouting Combine and was seemingly on an upward trajectory.
Then, came reports of multiple teams coming away turned off by Levis’ personality during meetings. Couple that with the toe injury he suffered last season, and a slide down the board seemed to be inevitable. That was magnified by several teams believing said injury would require surgery with one organization calling it “problematic.”
With all of that as a backdrop, Tennessee acquires value and need at the quarterback position in Levis. His on-field talent can’t be denied. We’re talking about a dude who throws frozen ropes, played in a pro-style offense at Kentucky and has displayed above-average intermediate accuracy.
Related: Will Levis NFL Draft scouting report
The Titans are currently in quarterback purgatory with struggling veteran Ryan Tannehill slated to start next season. A third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Malik Willis fell out of favor big time after struggling as a rookie.
New general manager Ran Carthon now has his guy under center to move forward with. At long last, Levis has found a home in Nashville.