Why the Titans believe in Will Levis
Tennessee Titans GM Ran Carthon spoke prior to the draft about the importance of getting to know the person and character of each quarterback in this year's draft class. The Titans brought in Will Levis, Anthony Richardson, and Hendon Hooker for Top 30 visits prior to the draft with hopes of getting a feel for […]
Tennessee Titans GM Ran Carthon spoke prior to the draft about the importance of getting to know the person and character of each quarterback in this year's draft class.
The Titans brought in Will Levis, Anthony Richardson, and Hendon Hooker for Top 30 visits prior to the draft with hopes of getting a feel for each of those prospects as both people and players.
"I think the big picture of bringing a guy in is just getting your hands on him," said Carthon on Tennessee's pre-draft meeting with the QB class. "The tape is the tape, and you'll hear me say it all the time, but I'd rather get to know the person. I can go sit and watch the tape for the next six hours and figure that part out. But we need to make sure that we're getting the right people in here, in this building, and in this community."
On Friday afternoon, the Titans made waves by trading up to the 33rd overall pick and drafting Kentucky QB Will Levis, who Vrabel says will enter camp as the Titans' third QB.
While Levis’ physical traits are really special, his inconsistencies and college numbers from 2022 make him a really polarizing prospect, but the supporting cast in Lexington didn't do him any favors. That makes him a really hard prospect to assess without sitting down with him to understand his processing and decision-making.
But Ran Carthon, Mike Vrabel, and the Titans coaching staff did sit down with Levis. They did ask him the hard football questions. They did dive into his college tape, concerning turnovers, and get a feel for what Levis can develop into.
The Titans did their homework, and after all that, they traded up to get him. I asked Carthon on Friday night about the Titans’ Top 30 visit with Levis and what he loved about Levis’ character after meeting with him in person.
"Will is is a diligent worker. Extremely smart. Extremely bright," Carthon told me. "He puts a lot of time into being a good quarterback so you appreciate his ability to pick up concepts and things quickly. He's hard wired. He's tough."
As far as the system and Levis' supporting cast at Kentucky? Carthon's familiarity with Rich Scangarello (Levis' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2022) gives the Titans' GM a really good understanding of the offensive system Levis was working in and how he will translate to the Titans' offense.
"His most recent offensive coordinator, Rich Scangarello, I had an experience with in San Francisco, so I kind of knew how [Levis] operated within that system," Carthon said. "When be brought him here, our coaches and our scouting staff had good interactions with him, so it just made it easy."
Will Levis had first round buzz for good reason. His combination of size, speed, arm strength, and toughness make his NFL ceiling really attractive. Levis' collegiate experience came in a pro-style offense, and his experience under center should make his transition to the league easier.
His release is quick. He thrived in play-action. He's a willing runner with surprising speed, and Levis is as confident as they come.
With Ryan Tannehill in place as the starter in Tennessee for the 2023 season, Levis will have plenty of opportunity to get healthy, acclimate to the NFL, and develop in the Titans' system.
Carthon and Vrabel believe Will Levis can take the reins and be their franchise quarterback in 2024, and in time, I expect him to become a plus starter in the NFL. While I was firmly against picking Levis at the top of the first round, I think the Titans got really good value at 33 overall.
