Titans select Will Levis in second round of 2023 NFL Draft after trade: How QB fits in Tennessee

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The Tennessee Titans traded up with the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 33 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and selected former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. Here’s what you need to know:

The Titans also acquired the No. 81 pick in the deal, the teams announced. Arizona received the No. 41 and 72 picks in 2023 and a third-rounder in 2024.
Levis dropped lower than expected in the draft as he was projected to be a first-round pick. He ranked No. 14 among all prospects and No. 4 among quarterbacks, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
The 6-foot-3, 229-pound quarterback completed 64.9 percent of his passes during his four seasons with the Wildcats. He threw for 5,876 yards, 46 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.
Levis jumped sharply in betting odds in the days leading up to the NFL Draft to be the favorite as the No. 2 pick. The odds fell off on him by Thursday.

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The Athletic’s instant analysis:

How Levis fits with the Titans

Levis can finally exhale after the Titans picked him with the second pick of the second round. For the second year in a row, the Titans are selecting a quarterback rated higher in media rankings than by NFL teams. Malik Willis was the choice last season, and he was obviously not ready.

Selecting Levis just one year later shows the Titans aren’t confident in Willis as a near-term solution, or perhaps any kind of solution. Why not keep drafting quarterbacks until you find one? The investment here seems about right. Before the draft, when Randy Mueller and I discussed Randy’s QB rankings, he saw Levis as a player he could justify taking late in the first round. Here he is, very early in the second round, and the value is so much better than if Tennessee had forced this pick near the top of the draft. — Sando

Levis’ scouting report

A two-year starter at Kentucky, Levis had a promising 2021 season in offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s scheme (31.8 points per game, 10 wins). However, he struggled with consistency in 2022, as the offense saw a complete makeover with Wan’Dale Robinson and multiple offensive linemen departing to the NFL and new play-caller Rich Scangarello taking over for Coen, who left to become the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator.

Physically built for the pro game, Levis is strong in the pocket, moves very well for his size and has a power arm to deliver with velocity and accuracy from various platforms. However, defenses are too easily able to put doubt in his mind, which leads to forced or inaccurate throws because of hesitancy in his game.

Overall, Levis needs more reps to continue developing his read efficiency and ball placement, but he has an NFL starter’s skill set with his impressive physical tools (size, arm, athleticism) and exceptional competitive toughness. Similarities with Carson Wentz should be considered both a positive and negative, but he has starter-level traits and upside. — Brugler

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What Levis had to say

Levis joined the ABC broadcast to speak on his selection by the Titans.

On slipping from the first round: “Yesterday didn’t go exactly how we expected.” Levis said he and his family had some travel complications and got home to Madison, Conn., just in time to get the call from the Titans.

On if he has an extra chip on his shoulder after the draft process: “A little bit, regardless if I went first overall or in the second round, my work ethic couldn’t change, circumstances can’t affect how you approach situations like that. Happy for all the dudes that went in the first round, definitely something that I would’ve liked to happen, but I feel like I ended up exactly where I was meant to be.”

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(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)