Legacy Play

Will Levis’s rookie season in 2023-2024 wasn’t exactly a smooth ride. Coming into the NFL with high expectations after an impressive college career at Kentucky, Levis’s first year with the Titans was marked by inconsistency, rookie mistakes, and an offense that never seemed to click. From the start, his performances were scrutinized under the brightest of lights, and those criticisms piled up. The mainstream sports media had plenty of negatives to say, like he wasn’t ready or good enough. On the field it was crystal clear that Levis was still learning how to navigate the complexity of the NFL and the pressure associated with being the franchise QB. Those growing pains were evident to see in both his decision-making and execution. He struggled with turnovers, made comical plays at times, and it looked like the game was going too quickly for him. But despite all these setbacks, I’m here to tell you why I am still a believer in Will Levis.

It’s easy to point to a quarterback’s stats and label him a bust after a rocky rookie season, but I don’t think that’s fair for any rookie. The NFL is almost like a completely different sport than college football. The speed, the complexity of the defenses, and the pressure to perform every week can overwhelm even the strongest and most talented players. Yet, despite all the struggles Levis faced, I saw flashes of brilliance that give me confidence that he will turn it around. From his arm strength and talent to his strong stature, Levis has tools that are undeniable. But let’s not sugarcoat things; the 2023-24 season was difficult for Levis. It wasn’t just a game here or there; it was most games. Yet in the midst of all this, I see the potential to be a top 15 QB in the NFL. The raw talent is there, and as with all young players, it’s going to take time for that talent to fully materialize.

Let’s begin at the start: the talent that Will Levis showed at Kentucky that stood out. What immediately stood out about him was his frame and size. Standing at 6 feet 4 inches and 229 pounds, he stands out and is an imposing figure. This also leads him to be tough in the pocket, as during his time in Kentucky, he frequently took big hits in order to complete a play, which is the type of attitude that will always lead to success. He was also a confident and aggressive passer, not afraid to let the ball fly in tight gaps or let deep shots go. This leads us to his biggest attribute. His arm strength. Will Levis had undoubtedly the best arm in the entire draft class. His ability to drive the ball in a tight spiral with little to no effort in a flick motion to any part of the deep field was outstanding. His arm strength also translated to a pro day visit from Carolina, where he literally hit the ceiling with one of his throws, highlighting his immense throwing power. Alongside that, he flashed strong processing power at Kentucky, who at the time operated a pro-style offense, which showcased his football IQ. Coupled with that throwing power, he is also a good athlete, frequently able to escape the pocket and scramble for a first down. Was he the complete prospect? No, not all. He struggled with accuracy at Kentucky, struggled against the blitz, and considering his age at the time of his final season, 24, should have had a better mastery of the offense. Alongside this, his playmaking ability was not dangerous whatsoever for opposition defenses. But what prospect is perfect? None are. His strengths as a QB were translatable to the next level, and with some help fixing nuances of his game, his ceiling was high as a starting QB.

This brings us to his NFL draft, where he experienced a massive slide into the second round, where he was eventually drafted by the Titans. He instantly became a source of mockery and ridicule, which, firstly, was not fair nor helpful for his confidence at all. Levis was thrust into a team that had missed the playoffs the year before, an offense that could not find any rhythm under Tannehill as it was increasingly reliant on Derrick Henry and a poor and frequently penalized offensive line. Under these conditions it was always going to be difficult for a rookie QB to succeed, and nothing changed in the season that just passed. Levis’s O-line was horrible, giving him no time to throw, and Levis, throughout college, had always struggled with the blitz, so this was especially problematic. His receivers could not find any separation as they were either too old or not good enough, and it meant that Levis could never truly unleash his strongest trait, which was deep ball ability, and instead he was forced to be accurate over shorter distances, one of his weaknesses. Despite all that, however, Levis stayed composed and managed to, when the opportunity was there, unleash his deep ball ability. In comparison to the No. 1 pick of the draft that year, Bryce Young, he statistically outperformed him, yet Bryce Young didn’t receive anywhere near the criticism that Levis did.

Levis really reminds me of a young Josh Allen, who, when he came into the NFL, was unpolished as a QB but had a cannon of an arm like Will Levis. So what did the Bills do? They invested in him and built a team around him so that they could best support his development, bringing in players like Stefon Diggs and a far stronger O-line. Now Josh Allen is one of the premier NFL QBs. I’m not saying that Will Levis will become as good as Josh Allen, but I do believe that if you can back him up with better personnel around him, he has the potential to explode.