The disappointment of what was happening was etched all over Will Levis’ face.
As the quarterback prospect stunningly slipped out of the 2023 NFL Draft’s first round — with ESPN cameras honed in on him in the increasingly lonely green room — the why behind the slide remains a bit of a mystery.
There are several theories, though.
As the evening wore on, several pundits offered their explanation as to what happened to Levis’ once sky-high draft stock.
Was it an injury?
“Will Levis’ left toe that caused him to miss two games last year was ‘problematic’ for one team that considered him,” ESPN’s Chris Mortensen tweeted.
“Levis says the ‘toe has healed’ and good to go. Another team believes Levis could manage it but thought surgery would need discussion after season. Levis disagrees.”
Was it his attitude?
“Just some reports, you don’t know who to trust this time of year but apparently he came off as not having an ideal personality,” ESPN draft expert Todd McShay said on “SportsCenter.”
“Some arrogance, some cockiness in his meetings. That’s a team-by-team basis, but ultimately the turnovers and style of play is an issue, too. He plays the quarterback position like a linebacker and we saw the toll it had on his body last year. A lot of teams I talked to were worried he was going to have a Carson Wentz case when it’s all said and done if he doesn’t learn how to protect his body better.”
Some blamed the pre-draft push that often overhypes quarterbacks.
There were many leaks that had Levis going to the Colts at No. 4, but they instead selected Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson.
That came after Bryce Young (Panthers) and C.J. Stroud (Texans) went with the top two picks in the draft.
Still, there were spots where quarterback-needy teams opted to fill other needs.
Perhaps, most notably, with the Titans.
The pre-draft chatter had them looking to trade veteran Ryan Tannehill and souring on Malik Willis, a third-round pick from a year ago.
“Not shocked — surprised,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper said of Levis’ fall, per NJ.com. “Once it got into that no-man’s land because there was nobody needing a quarterback mid-round, I thought maybe somebody would jump back in. Maybe the Rams would.
“But the Rams pick early in the second round. Maybe they look at Will Levis. You know, he had the banged-up year. Head to toe he was beat up, didn’t play nearly as well as he did in 2021, for obvious reasons — he was hurt, he couldn’t move. So, I guess teams held that against him more than I thought they would.”
Regardless of the reason, Levis will have to wait until Day 2 begins for his NFL dream to be reached.
