Colts 2023 NFL draft profile: QB Will Levis

It’s no secret that the Indianapolis Colts are looking for a new franchise quarterback, and the expectation is that the team will use the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft to complete that search.

With many different opinions on this year’s prospects, we still have no inclination of who will be available when Indy is on the clock on the final Thursday in April.

We’ll be tracking the Colts’ reported interest in the 2023 draft class so be sure to keep up with latest updates via our tracker.

Let’s get to know Kentucky’s Will Levis and what he can bring to the Circle City:

Background

Will Levis was born in Newton, Massachusetts on June 27, 1999. He comes from a family that had success at the college level of spots. His great-grandfather, Alva Kelley, was an All-American football player at Cornell University and won a National Championship in 1939. His father’s name is Mike and he played football at Denison University. His mother’s name is Beth and she was an All-American soccer player at Yale University. She was also named to the Connecticut Girls’ Soccer Association Hall of Fame.

High School

Levis attended Xavier High School in Middletown, CT. He played in 26 games on his school’s varsity squad starting during his sophomore year. In total, he threw for 5,419 yards and 55 touchdowns. He ran the ball for 327 yards and 12 touchdowns. During his final year of high school, he set Xavier High School records with 2,793 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Levis was a three-star recruit, the second-highest prospect in Connecticut, the 28th-ranked pro-style quarterback, and was ranked the 652nd-best recruit in the 2018 class. He would end up committing to playing college football for Penn State University.

College

Levis redshirted his freshman year at Penn State then spent the following two seasons in a backup role to Sean Clifford. In 2019, he appeared in six games throwing for 223 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also ran the ball for 213 yards and three touchdowns. For the 2020 season, Levis played in eight games throwing for 421 yards and a touchdown while running the ball for 260 yards and three touchdowns. 

After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance at Penn State, Levis elected to transfer to the University of Kentucky for the rest of his college career. In his first season as a starter, he played in 13 games throwing for 2,826 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He also had 376 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He even had a reception for 15 yards. 

In his final season, he played in 11 games throwing for 2,506 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Because of multiple injuries, his rushing took a step back as finished with -107 yards but had a couple of rushing touchdowns. It should be noted that sacks count against rushing yard totals in college, which helps explain why he had so many negative rushing yards.

Levis did earn his Master’s Degree in Finance during his time at Kentucky. 

Some awards and honors earned by Levis:

• College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Division I Football Team Member of the Year (2022)

• Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Top 10 (2022)

• Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2022

• Preseason Third-Team All-SEC (2022)

• Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2021

Injury History

Turf Toe (2022) – Missed one game

Dislocated finger (2022)

He did show his toughness by continuing to play after suffering this injury:

Left shoulder injury (2022)

NFL Combine:

Measurements

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 229

Arm Length: 32″

Hand Size: 10 5/8″

Testing

Broad Jump: 10’4”

Vertical Jump: 34”

Levis elected not to run the 40-yard dash at the combine but his broad jump was the second-best mark among quarterbacks. He did throw and was able to show off his “cannon” that he boasted about during the combined interviews. 

Pro Day

Levis elected to continue to show off his arm strength at his Pro Day:

Random Nugget

He’s known for some of his weird habits of drinking coffee with mayonnaise and eating unpeeled bananas.

But he has since denied that he actually does these things:

Scouting Report

When it comes to searching for a quarterback that offers the arm strength to hit every blade of grass on the field, Levis has that. He offers the capability to squeeze the ball in tight windows in the short to intermediate areas of the field and can take the top off the defense when his man is streaking on the go. When he finds a rhythm, it can be difficult for defenses to defend.

He has his moments where he can drop back, make the read, and drop the ball to his receiver in a hole in the defense. Levis can show off his arm strength when he hits a deep shot on the boundary between two defenders. The biggest issue is that he doesn’t do it consistently. He needs to understand when to use his laser arm but also when he needs to put some touch on the ball. 

He will zip it to his receiver and make the catch more difficult than it needs to be. Levis can also trust his arm too much at times which can lead to contested catches that turn into interceptions. While he does have the prototypical size and arm for the position, that doesn’t mean he’s a statue. He has enough mobility that offensive coordinators can make calls for him to run the ball in games. He’s outstanding at converting first downs on quarterback sneaks. 

One other area that Levis needs to work on is his pocket presence. He has a bad feel for the pass rush and gives up easy sacks or allows the pocket to collapse on him. He should be able to extend more plays than he did with the athleticism that he does have. 

In Year 1, Levis might not actually be ready to be an opening-day starter because of the holes in his game but with him turning 24 years old before Week 1, it would be beneficial for him to continue his development on the field. Especially as a first-round pick. If he’s not ready, then I do wonder if a Day 1 selection is worthy of an older prospect that can’t make an impact as a rookie. 

He can find success as a rookie if he does enter a favorable situation where he has two to three skill position players that can make it easier on him. By Year 3, if he has cleaned up the problems that he has as a quarterback and the offense is built around his skill set then he can be a Pro Bowl-level quarterback.

Projection: Top 15 pick

Shane Steichen’s valued QB traits

Steichen mentioned earlier this offseason about the traits he looks for in young quarterbacks. “I think accuracy, decision-making, and the ability to create are the three things that I look at in a quarterback,” Steichen said. “I think those all three things are very important but obviously, above the neck, the players that I’ve been around – Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, and Philip Rivers, they all have one thing in common. They’re obsessed with their craft. If you can find that in a quarterback, you’ll probably have some success.”

Accuracy: His accuracy is spotty and doesn’t offer long stretches when he is carving up a defense. His short to intermediate throws need some work if he wants to be an accurate quarterback at the next level. If he cleans it up then he can consistently throw darts into heavy coverage like this: 

Decision Making: He showed he’s able to work his way through his progressions but struggles with when to decide to climb the pocket or escape it. His forced throws were also a detriment to the offense so he will need to learn how to be better of a game manager. 

Ability to Create: Levis has the capability to extend and create but he doesn’t do it as often as he should. He can pick up yards with his legs but he’s not much of a threat in the open field.

Levis’ ability to create is the one trait I would say he slightly checks. Steichen will have to believe he can use his legs as he did in 2021. If Indianapolis does end up selecting him then the front office and coaching staff have to have the belief he can develop these traits to reach his full potential.

Story originally appeared on Colts Wire