Will Levis has already disproven mainstream narrative about him
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis has already proven a lot of his doubter wrong through his first seven NFL starts. Levis was the fourth quarterback taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. He fell to the second round with plenty of QB needy teams passing on him. Plenty of scouts and "experts" questioned his […]
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis has already proven a lot of his doubter wrong through his first seven NFL starts.
Levis was the fourth quarterback taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. He fell to the second round with plenty of QB needy teams passing on him. Plenty of scouts and "experts" questioned his accuracy and decision making. But none of that matters anymore.
With a passer rating of 86.8 on the season, Levis currently has the highest passer rating of any 2nd round rookie QB since 1967. He is also disproving a mainstream narrative about his skillset.
Levis In Play Action
When entering the 2024 NFL Draft out of Kentucky, there was a lot of concern about Levis' production taking a dip from 2021 to 2022. While his individual statistics didn't look much different from year to year, Kentucky's offense fell off a cliff without offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
Under the tutelage of Coen in 2021, Levis led the Wildcats to a 10-3 season. Kentucky's offense averaged 425.4 yards per game that season. When Coen was replaced by Rich Scangarello, the 2022 went 7-6 with over 100 less yards per game on offense (324.7). The common thread that was frequently pointed to? Play action passing.
Kentucky used play action on 37 percent of dropbacks in 2021 under Coen. That number took a serious dive in the 2022 offense, and some people believed it was responsible for Levis' down year.
Levis had always been praised for his athleticism, arm strength, and ability to deliver off-platform throws. Those are all traits of a quarterback who could thrive on the move as a play action passer.
Draft "experts" also raised red flags about Levis' ability to find rhythm as a passer or feel pressure from within the pocket. Many also questioned his decision making and ability to read a defense. By using play action, the game was "simpler" for a quarterback that otherwise struggled to read the field…or at least that was the silly narrative.
"Levis is still learning how to get through progressions quickly and on time, and his decision making without play action is questionable," read one predraft article that is pictured below.
Levis Disproving the Narrative
The beautiful thing about football is that none of that pre-draft analysis seems to matter once the pads come on and the games are played.
Will Levis has not only proven to be one of the best second-round quarterback in recent memory. He is also making a strong case for why he should have been selected with one of the top selections in the draft.
On top of all that? His play for the Tennessee Titans this fall is quickly disproving the narrative that he was too reliant on play action dropbacks to succeed in the NFL.
When it comes to standard dropbacks (1st/2nd down, no pressure, no play action) for NFL quarterbacks, Levis is the second best in the league in both EPA/play and QB Success Rate. Brock Purdy is the only quarterback higher while Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, and Tua Tagovailoa are next behind Levis.
Needless to say there's a substantial difference in what Levis is working with compared to the guy on the 49ers, the guy throwing to Tyreek Hill, and the guys with two of the league's better offensive lines.
To put things simply, when Levis is given adequate time to throw, he gets the job done. It doesn't matter if there's motion and play action or not. It doesn't matter who he's throwing to.
He has proven over seven NFL starts that he is more than capable of getting into a rhythm as a pocket passer and making good decisions. When you combine that with his toughness, arm strength, athleticism, and ability to improvise…you've got a really dangerous weapon.
But as far as those pre-draft narratives are concerned? They missed on Levis just like every team that chose not take him in the first round. The Titans may be reaping the benefit of those decisions for years to come.
Will Levis proves he has critical factor needed in franchise QB
Will Levis is the guy in Tennessee.
