Detroit Lions need to avoid obvious trap with Will Levis in 2023 NFL Draft
Pro Days are going to going to start killing NFL franchises. One has to hope that the Detroit Lions won't let this happen when they have so much positive momentum propelling them forward, but you never know. The Jets fell for the trap last year, and now it seems like the NFL media is going […]
Pro Days are going to going to start killing NFL franchises. One has to hope that the Detroit Lions won't let this happen when they have so much positive momentum propelling them forward, but you never know.
The Jets fell for the trap last year, and now it seems like the NFL media is going to fall for one of the biggest traps in the game over the past few years.
Pro Days are not NFL games. In the same way that 7-on-7 doesn't do a great job of indicating whether a high school player can translate their game to college, a practice without pads where plays showcase talent they won't use in the NFL shouldn't draw praise.
The practice became more common due to safety concerns associated with COVID-19, but teams have started to overvalue traits that don't pan out in the game.
Will Levis is the most recent topic of discussion on this end. Sure, his Pro Day is impressive, but does it really make sense to showcase the same throw that made Zach Wilson famous when it is now obvious that moments like that mean little?
It is fair to say that Levis could be better than Wilson due to his stronger arm and better athleticism, but even that isn't enough to guarantee anything.
Traits matter, but production and history matters too, and a few good throws at a Pro Day should't be enough to distract anyone from the fact that Levis is a project piece that does still have question marks in his game.
If there are Lions fans that do want to take the plunge with Levis, they'll need to find better points to argue than a clip that has zero bearing on whether a prospect can be a quality NFL quarterback.
For the sake of the Lions, if they really do want to take a quarterback in the first round, Will Levis is probably worth avoiding if they are looking for value and safety.
