The New England snuck in perhaps their most notable visit of the pre-draft process before Wednesday’s deadline.

The Patriots hosted Kentucky quarterback Will Levis on Wednesday, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport first reported Thursday. Wednesday was the final day teams were allowed to host players on pre-draft visits. Levis is expected to be drafted in the top half of the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and New England picks 14th overall.

One source described the meeting as "due diligence" and that if any of the top four quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft — Levis, Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud or Florida's Anthony Richardson — fall, the Kentucky product seems to be the most likely. So, New England is making sure they have a complete set of information on Levis before the draft.

The Patriots drafted Mac Jones 15th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. After a promising rookie season, Jones took a step back in 2022 under the tutelage of top offensive coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Patricia and Judge have been replaced as de-facto offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach — respectively — by Bill O’Brien, a much more experienced person for those roles.

Jones is still on this rookie contract. The Patriots must decide if they want to pick up the fifth-year option on his contract at the end of the 2023 season. Sources have described friction between Jones and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick dating back to last season, so it wouldn’t come as a complete shock if New England made another move at quarterback. The Patriots also met with Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, another projected first-rounder, at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Levis, who’s 6-foot-4, 237 pounds, completed 185-of-283 passes for 2,406 yards with 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season. He went 233-of-353 for 2,826 yards with 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in a more productive 2021 season with the Wildcats after transferring from Penn State.

Here’s a snippet of what The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote about Levis in his annual draft guide:

“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.” — Dane Brugler, The Athletic

Just because the Patriots hosted Levis on a visit certainly doesn't mean they would select him if he did fall to the 14th overall pick. Visits can also be valuable for future planning and in case a player is drafted by a team rival.

But with a quarterback entering his third NFL season, as well as 2022 fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe — who's expected to challenge Jones for the starting role this offseason — already on the roster, it's certainly notable that New England is taking time to meet with Levis a little over a week before the draft which starts next Thursday.

Featured image via Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal and USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK