* - How well does his skill set carry over
to the fantasy game? For quarterbacks, a player needs to be a
realistic threat for 4,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards
to be a candidate for a perfect grade. Positional scarcity at
the pro level is also a part of the equation.
Positives
At 6-4 and 229 pounds with a powerlifter's build, Levis is built
to last in the NFL. Few quarterbacks across the country absorbed
the amount of punishment that he did in 2022 behind a below-average
offensive line and still managed to fare as well as he did in the
most competitive conference in college football (SEC). No one can
legitimately question his toughness. His arm strength is as good
as any of the other quarterbacks in his draft class. Although he
is guilty of throwing his fastball too often, the Connecticut native
displays nice touch on throws near the goal line. When asked to
throw on the move, he typically gives himself an opportunity to
square his feet and shoulders to his intended target. While he lacks
the speed to break many long runs, he is an underrated athlete capable
of moving the chains and converting on short-yardage plays and at
the goal line. (It would not be stunning if he eventually admits
to modeling his game after Josh Allen, even if he doesn't quite
have the unparalleled arm strength of the Bills' quarterback.) Despite
lacking a proven playmaker at receiver or tight end in 2022, Levis
repeatedly showed a willingness to make tight-window throws and
threw with anticipation enough to give NFL teams hope. It also helps
his cause that he played in a version of Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan-influenced
offenses during his two seasons at Kentucky.
Negatives
Levis is built to take punishment, but he is far too reckless
and takes too many unnecessary blows. He refuses to slide and almost
seems to embrace lowering his shoulder into defenders. Regarding
his recklessness, he turned the ball over 42 times (25 interceptions
and 17 fumbles) over his college career despite playing the equivalent
of about 2 1/2 seasons (attempted 102 passes and 133 runs at Penn
State before transferring). Levis displays the ability to work through
his progressions and processes quickly on occasion, but he is often
guilty of bailing on a play too quickly (how much did playing behind
a poor offensive line last season speed up his clock?) or being
a tick too late on pulling the trigger on passes over the middle
of the field. His lower-body mechanics are very much a work in progress,
which likely is the primary reason why his accuracy was inconsistent.
While Levis occasionally showed the ability to work off his primary
read, he was not asked to read the full field very often despite
his experience in NFL-style offenses. Levis' arm allows him to make
tight-window throws, but he made his job harder than it needs to
be because he did not do a great job of moving defenders with his
eyes.
Bottom Line
NFL scouts and general managers are going to have their hands
full with evaluating Levis. He has most of the physical traits
that a coach could want and the toughness to get his teammates
to fall in love with him. He is also a project that needs time
to develop as a passer and learn to clean up his footwork. Unfortunately,
he is likely headed to a team that will want him to start at some
point as a rookie. Making matters worse for him is how willing
he is to embrace contact as a runner. His shelf life in the NFL
will be about five years if he continues to play the game as he
did in 2022.
Levis is the ultimate "bet on traits" quarterback at
this point of his career. Outside of his recklessness as a runner,
he has flashed some promise in just about every area in which
he needs to improve. With that said, it is hard to imagine him
playing in any meaningful games in 2023, much less starting for
an NFL team. On the plus side, it is almost a given his new team
will afford him more protection and have more capable pass-catchers
than what he had with Kentucky last season.
Levis is the embodiment of a boom-bust prospect. Some team could
fall in love with his physical tools and tell itself it can teach
him how to play the position more efficiently. If he lands with
a team that has the luxury of a skilled teacher as its quarterback
coach and some patience, he could end up being a poor man's version
of Allen. If he doesn't, his career could end up paralleling that
of Blake Bortles or post-injury Carson Wentz.
Doug Orth has written for FF Today since 2006 and been featured
in USA TODAY's Fantasy Football Preview magazine since 2010. He
is also a high-stakes player who often appears as a guest analyst
on a number of national sports radio shows, such as Sirius XM’s
“Fantasy Drive." Doug is also a member of the Fantasy
Sports Writers Association.
