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Finding trade partners for Will Levis, Jalen Ramsey
The 2025 NFL Draft is one week from today, and it is basically a forgone conclusion that the Tennessee Titans will be selecting quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick. That begs the question, when will they trade their current starting QB Will Levis? The Titans could always keep him, but our Easton Freeze isn’t buying that. He went on to list teams that Levis would fit in with the most, which we’ll highlight below.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: “Perhaps they've flown under the radar in this regard, but on paper I think this could make a lot of sense. Baker Mayfield is playing the best ball of his career, but his career has already seem plenty of ups and downs.
“Perhaps he cements himself as the long-term franchise QB, but he only has two years left on his contract and is going to cost nearly $50M against the cap after this season. Behind him, they have nobody of note and they're paying them nothing. Levis could be their developmental upgrade at backup with actual upside.”
Philadelphia Eagles: “A portion of the teams listed in this article are automatic inclusions because of their reported involvement in the bidding for former Patriots QB Joe Milton last week, who was shipped to Dallas in a Day 3 pick swap. It stands to reason that if you were interested in trading for somebody like Milton, you're in this kind of QB market. The Eagles have long considered themselves a ‘QB factory’ of sorts, intentionally spending more capital on the position that their peers.
“That's manifested itself in the draft as well as via trades, as we've most recently seen them take a swing on Kenny Pickett before trading him away again. Behind Jalen Hurts, they have a pair of low-upside young passers on rookie contracts. Both could easily be moved down the depth chart or moved off of entirely if they wanted to kick the tires on developing Levis.”
Minnesota Vikings: “I'm including the Vikings in the Strong Candidates tier because while I think a trade will be pursued by the Titans before we get past draft weekend, I'm certainly not ruling out a trade finally coming together later in the summer. There's still a world in which Levis finally moves on as late as the preseason.
“And while Minnesota's draft situation really prohibits them from making a trade with 2025 capital, I think they'd become the team to focus on if Levis is still on the roster in May. Everything about this landing spot makes sense besides 2025 available picks: the coach and scheme, their QB culture, their desire for more than what they currently have on the roster. It's a very good fit."
Cleveland Browns: “It's hard to rule just about any QB going to the Browns at this point. Their well-documented QB finance situation with the Watson nightmare has them in a trickier position than most, and a young cost-controlled QB could be their off-ramp if they found one.
“That's why a move to kick the tires on Levis would make some sense. They did just bring back old man Joe Flacco on a 1-year deal, which lessens their immediate need. But they're far from set at the position. What (if anything) they do in the draft at QB will be telling. Oh, did I mention they have two 3rd Round picks?"
Detroit Lions: “Why not? Goff is steady and beloved in Detroit, but he's not getting any younger and his hard ceiling may eventually start to wear out his welcome. Meanwhile, the rest of the room is in total flux. There's Hendon Hooker on his rookie contract, who everybody in Detroit seems to openly dislike. Besides him, Allen and Fromm are on bargain basement contracts that are simple to move on from."
Miami Dolphins: “This QB situation seems like it's waiting for a tipping point. Tua is entering a portion of his massive contract where he begins to take up a very dramatic portion of the cap. And as serviceable as he is, his injury history and hard ceiling late in the year are a serious problem.
“Zach Wilson is the only other QB under contract, and he's similar to Levis in the sense that the Dolphins are taking a swing on somebody with developmental upside. At this point in their careers, however, it's more than fair to say Levis has a lot more theoretical upside left in the tank than Wilson. Miami has a pair of 4ths and 5ths that could facilitate a move here."
Las Vegas Raiders: “This is another team who was involved in the bidding for Joe Milton. They feel like a funny fit, considering they just traded for Geno Smith and signed him to a new contract. But sniffing around on Milton tells me that they aren't exactly set on a backup tandem of O'Connell and Bradley, so maybe this new regime has a soft spot for Levis and would make a swap.”
New Orleans Saints: “This wasn't a team on the list until this past Friday, when it was reported that Derek Carr's 2025 availability is in question. He's contemplating surgery on a shoulder injury he's working through, and the team is uncertain what his timeline to return could be. This is a team that needs a historic tank season worse than probably any team has ever needed one.
“They're old, expensive, and in the 7th level of Cap Hell. But they're in this situation in the first place because they're very poorly run and don't do the wise thing. So I wouldn't put it past them one bit to go sniffing for a QB trade with some upside. Maybe they convince themselves to try out Levis as their young solution, even though they should probably hand the keys to Rattler and just see what happens."
Best Will Levis trade partner fits: How the Titans can profit now by sending him to QB rehab, needy teams, the Super Bowl champs
Trading Levis sooner rather than later could be wisest
2025 NFL Draft: Concerns about a top 10 prospect, a potential sleeper, and another mock
It’s all about the draft this time of year, and our A to Z Sports staff is all over it. College football writer and draft guru A.J. Schultz took a deep dive into Michigan cornerback Will Johnson’s private pro day that didn’t go so well. Johnson did not run the 40-yard dash, recorded a 37-inch vertical, and a 4.33 short shuttle. A.J. has the breakdown:
“His testing numbers at his private pro day were less than stellar, reopening the conversation about his athleticism and leaving it as a question mark for scouts. No 40-yard dash is tough, as it's nice to know if a player is fast enough to hang vertically down the field against NFL competition and have that data point to back it up.
“His vertical at 37" isn't horrible, measuring in at 67th percentile per Mockdraftable. However, the 4.33 short shuttle is a 13th-percentile outcome as well, which is a disappointing number for a player as fluid as Johnson is.”
However, A.J. went on to say that he’s not overly concerned about Johnson in the long run:
“Personally, I think a lot of scouts and analysts are overthinking the athleticism concerns with Will Johnson. He's a freak athlete on film, and we've seen him carry deep threats down the field and stay right in their hip pocket. It feels like we're bored of a player who has consistently been at the top of consensus for so long, and the injury has opened up the talking points."
On the flip side, our Tyler Forness identified Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley as the biggest sleeper on defense in the draft, making for a Day 3 steal for some lucky team. Tyler has the breakdown:
“The one thing that stood out more than anything is Walley's ball skills. He does a great job reading things in front of him and attacking the ball. What makes things really impressive with Walley is how quickly he moves his feet the second he sees something develop in front of him.
“Tackling is something that stood out to me as a plus, but it's up-and-down. However, the effort is not. Over four seasons, Walley has 25 missed tackles, but 10 of those came this past season, far and away the worst of his career. When I watch Walley, you can see the effort he shows in trying to tackle. He is willing to get physical and wrap up fitting the run like in the clip below, but it needs to be more consistent. His 4.40 40-yard dash speed helps him attack quickly when he sees things happen in front of him."
Finally, our Ryan Roberts and Destin Adams collaborated on a two-round mock draft on Wednesday, which featured a couple of surprises:
New England Patriots select RB Ashton Jeanty: “Some people may be shocked by this but hear me out. Ashton Jeanty is looked at by many around the league as a blue chip prospect and I don't think the Patriots should be turning away that possibility. Mike Vrabel saw first hand the benefit of having a dominant starting RB during his days with the Derrick Henry and the Titans. And giving Drake Maye a consistent run game would go along way for his personal development.”
Pittsburgh Steelers trade up to select QB Shedeur Sanders: “Who doesn't love a trade? Aaron Rodgers continues to drag his feet in negotiations with the Steelers and the team desperately needs to figure the QB position for 2025. Rodgers would be a solid bandaid option but he wouldn't offer much upside for the future. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock has taken a hit, but he would bring excitement to the fan base and give the team a solid contingency plan if Rodgers signs elsewhere or even retires."
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