Stoops on Will Levis: ‘I believe he believes he can be the No. 1 quarterback taken.’
Buzz is building behind returning University of Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.
Todd McShay became the latest pundit to endorse Levis. In his first 2023 mock draft, released Thursday morning, the ESPN analyst has Levis going No. 8 overall to the New York Giants.
“Levis needs to find more consistency, but he has a live arm and a big 6-foot-3, 232-pound frame,” McShay wrote. “He has thrived in the quick game at Kentucky, with a lot of run-pass options and screen-type stuff, but there are some Josh Allen-like traits here for new Giants coach Brian Daboll.” He added that Levis and new Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, drafted in the second round last week, connected 104 times in their lone season together.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Levis going No. 5 overall in his initial 2023 mock draft, dubbing him the top senior at the position (he, and most, have juniors C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young going 1-2 next year, in some order). Most mocks, at this juncture, project Levis as a first-round selection, at a minimum.
Levis during an appearance on “Kentucky Roll Call” this week was asked about his ascension up draft boards.
“It’s cool, but I mean, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s random media people with their own opinions. Obviously, anything you see with that doesn’t guarantee anything. If anything, it’s just kind of cool to hear and see. But I don’t want to spend time and attention on that.”
That’s a wise attitude to have for a litany of reasons, but especially because we’re just barely less than a year away from next year’s draft. Most of last year’s “way-too-early” mocks had North Carolina’s Sam Howell as the best quarterback in the draft class and projected as a top-10 selection; he ended up getting picked in the fifth round and was the sixth quarterback selected. A lot can change in a year.
Still, Levis going into his second season has generated more hype than any quarterback who has played during Mark Stoops’ tenure. He didn’t arrive on campus until last summer but quickly won over the locker room and the coaching staff. He threw for more yards (2,846) and touchdowns (24) in 2021 than any quarterback who’s played for Kentucky since Mike Hartline. Similar or improved production in 2022, along with a cutback on turnovers (he threw 13 interceptions last season), would go a long away toward making May 2022 mock drafts correct come next April.
Going into a season with a returning quarterback like Levis excites Stoops, who talked about the senior during a Thursday appearance on Kentucky Sports Radio. Stoops noted that scouts were impressed with what they saw from Levis as he showed up on film of 2022 draft prospects they were evaluating, and with how he looked throwing the ball to other prospects during Kentucky’s on-campus Pro Day in April.
Stoops said Levis deserves the preseason hype.
“I know this, I know Will,” Stoops said. “I know how motivated he is. It’ll drive him to see any quarterback taken in front of him because I believe he believes he can be the No. 1 quarterback taken. He has that kind of ability and I think he’s gonna have that kind of year.”
The trickle-down effect of having a quarterback with that kind of outlook matters, too.
“They make people around them better,” Stoops said. “He’s a great leader, he’s competitive. It’s not just about him, it’s about the team. Those kind of guys make a difference. I really like where we’re at.”
This story was originally published May 5, 2022 at 12:26 PM.
