Will Levis deserves the benefit of the doubt with the Tennessee Titans
Many judgements were unfairly made when the Titans drafted the Kentucky quarterback.
NASHVILLE — Rookie Will Levis was taken by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of this year's NFL Draft. Any time a new quarterback comes to town, opinions are bound to be polarizing.
Levis, given his SEC East alma mater, was always going to face an uphill battle in the state of Tennessee.
When the 24-year old passer was selected with the 33rd overall pick, judgements immediately started to fly. Instead of viewing Levis as a clean slate, many assigned a level of on-field and off-field baggage to him that could be considered extreme. I am ashamed to admit that the discourse around the quarterback colored my expectations of him heading into Titans rookie minicamp this weekend.
The reports around Levis' alleged "arrogance" and "entitlement" were entirely premature.
Fair criticisms of the rookie can be based around his tape study. There are always variables at play when studying NFL prospects' strengths and weaknesses, but Levis' decision-making and accuracy as a college quarterback are what any current scrutiny should be founded on. What we saw on the practice field this weekend was a player in his element despite foreign surroundings, teammates and coaches.
Turns out the career football player is at his best…on the football field.
"I think we all thrive on routines," Levis said on Saturday. "Obviously, in the offseason we have a routine. But when you're in the building all day long in a camp environment like this, I feel like you have to be that much more locked in, got to be that much more in-tune with what's going on. Because of that, we're all able to learn so much in a short amount of time."
Nothing about the draft process is routine in a way that players thrive on.
Anonymous quotes are always great for those who consume them. The months leading up to the NFL's annual hiring process is filled with rumors swirling around prospects with very little accountability before or after the fact. Whether Levis ever displays those qualities that anonymous executives or otherwise were knocking him for can be discussed when there is actual evidence of it in the pros.
Getting work in with this new Tennessee surroundings on Saturday, Levis was comfortable and in command.
That does not mean everything was perfect. The first quarterback-center exchange was botched in team period, resulting in a fumble. Beyond that, however, the version of Levis that media saw in the Titans practice bubble was largely smooth running the show.
More good days will come and plenty of teachable moments will arise. Judging Levis prematurely accomplishes nothing in the interim.
