Kentucky quarterback Will Levis concluded a string of pro day workouts for top quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL draft on Friday. NFL team scouts and evaluators enjoyed a three-day stretch of pro days, which kicked off with Ohio State's C.J. Stroud on Wednesday, rolled through Alabama for Bryce Young on Thursday and finished up with Levis on Friday in Lexington. Florida's Anthony Richardson will have his pro day Thursday. I've been on the move, traveling to all three workouts so far.
Levis is currently my No. 3 quarterback and No. 14 overall prospect in the class. There's a good chance we will see all four of these quarterbacks drafted among the top 10 picks April 27, and Levis is right in the mix. He looked solid on Friday, showing off his strong arm.
Here are my biggest takeaways from Levis' pro day and what comes next for him. My thoughts on Stroud and Young from earlier in the week are also below.
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Levis | Young | Stroud
Will Levis, Kentucky
Pro day: March 24 | Ranking: No. 14 (QB3)
HT: 6-foot-4 | WT: 229 pounds
More tied together ... but work to do
Quarterback coach Jordan Palmer has been working with Levis for eight weeks now, trying to better tie his lower half to his upper body and develop a more fluid delivery for the projected first-round signal-caller. Levis threw 23 interceptions over the past two seasons and missed a lot of easy layup throws along the way, especially in the shorter areas of the field. Much of that was the result of still-developing mechanics -- especially when it comes to footwork -- and a lack of touch.
And at the scouting combine, Levis seemed a little rigid during the throwing session. He has such a tight, muscular upper body, and he seems to struggle with taking something off his throws when it's required. He is still trying to find the balance between humming the ball in on a line drive with his huge arm and knowing when to lead receivers with touch, trajectory and anticipation.
In Friday's throwing session, he did look more fluid, though. Things appeared a little more tied together. On throws into the intermediate range (20-30 yards downfield), I saw more touch, as he was clearly trying to drop the ball in for his pass-catchers. There was definitely better arc on his corner routes, too. Not everything was a laser shot. And anytime his receiver was facing him or going back to him, the throw was right on the mark. His footwork appeared improved, though there is still work to do there. That will come from drilling over and over so that it becomes muscle memory.
That all said, you can still see the tightness in his mechanics, which aren't a finished product. Levis' placement on in-breaking throws wasn't ideal, with some passes arriving behind receivers. Really, the workout reminded me of his tape. There were "wow" throws, but then he missed on ball location on others. He has the traits to do so many things that Young and Stroud can't, but evaluators are wondering if he will be able to figure out the mechanics. I'd like to see Levis work on his flexibility a bit, which would help him hit the layups and put the ball in the right spot with more consistency. Can he learn to keep receivers in stride with his timing and touch to maximize the production on each throw?
Bottom line is Levis obviously still has refining to do when it comes to mechanics, but you can't coach his arm, size and mobility. The rest will come with time, but the weak spots are fixable and coachable if he ends up in the right situation.
A lot of arm energy
This three-day swing of pro days has been interesting because it offers a really good side-by-side comparison, with each workout fresh in the mind. Yes, Stroud and Young had the better workouts, but, man, Levis' juice and pure velocity on his throws stood out. Every ball thrown to the intermediate areas of the field was on a rope, never getting higher than a receiver's head but still getting into the strike zone. His ability to fit passes into tight windows popped during the workout.
I thought Levis really excelled on movement throws rolling to each side, too. On one, he hit a comeback route roughly 20 to 25 yards downfield along the sideline, with the ball in the perfect spot for the receiver to make the catch and then toe-tap inbounds. Then on another, he hit a vertical route while rolling out to his right. He showed the arm strength, but it was clear he was trying to throw with a little more trajectory.
Levis moved through his normal workout and into some red zone work. Then he turned around and capped off his workout with some fireworks, airing out four or five vertical shots. The first one was maybe the most impressive throw of the day. Levis heaved a beautiful pass to the deep post that probably traveled 70 yards in the air. It was the kind of arm talent that has scouts excited about his upside and ceiling.
He seemed to tire out a bit after that brilliant deep ball, though, with less energy on the next few before he called it a day. It's worth noting that Levis was out on the field early Friday morning, running through his scripted workout, and it might have impacted him late in the real thing. It speaks to his professionalism -- he certainly took this seriously -- but it also probably led to some arm exhaustion.
Two dinners and questions about Year 1
Levis interestingly went to two dinners on Thursday night -- with two different teams at the same restaurant. First, he met with the Carolina Panthers' brass who have been traveling to each QB pro day this week, including owner David Tepper. Levis told me he ordered only an appetizer for that meeting. He then met with the Las Vegas Raiders for the main course without leaving the building. Vegas brought coach Josh McDaniels, director of scouting administration John Barnett, quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree and assistant general manager Champ Kelly to Lexington.
Ultimately, the fit is going to be interesting. Despite his experience and work in a pro-style offense, I personally don't know that Levis is ready to start in Year 1. He's still working on processing speed and throwing with consistent accuracy. When defenses figure out how to confine him in the pocket and close on him, he has a tendency to drop his eyes, get stuck on one receiver and miss throws. And he still needs to learn how to protect himself when things break down. If that stuff is happening with college-level pass-rushing, what lies ahead in the faster-paced NFL? Ideally, Levis will be given a year so he can continue ironing things out before he's thrown into action. You'd be doing him a disservice otherwise.
With all that in mind, what teams make sense? The Raiders (No. 7 pick) signed Jimmy Garoppolo, so they would be sitting the rookie if they drafted him. But I also wonder if they'll pass on drafting a QB altogether with Garoppolo in the mix and tend to another need. Would the Indianapolis Colts at No. 4 be comfortable with Gardner Minshew, or would they lean on Levis out of the gate? Could a team like the Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders or Tampa Bay Buccaneers trade up to get him and then look to veterans already on the roster for 2023?
At the end of the day, I see Levis in a second tier behind Young and Stroud. He has a live arm, but he just needs time to figure the rest out. He isn't quite there from an efficiency standpoint. But it looks like he's doing the right things, and I do see some improvement already in the concern areas.
Bryce Young, Alabama
Pro day: March 23 | Ranking: No. 1 (QB1)
HT: 5-foot-10 | WT: 204 pounds
Clean delivery, anticipatory throwing
Overall, it was another fantastic pro day. Young displayed a quick release, getting the ball out early and on time. He put the ball in catchable spots, throwing with anticipation and leading receivers into after-the-catch opportunities. I saw the same consistent footwork and touch that is on the tape, and he was mixing trajectories really well.
Young also had some energy on his throws, and any lingering concerns about the shoulder issue he dealt with during the season appear well behind us. He showed off his arm strength, though some might be wondering about a few deep-ball incompletions we saw on Thursday. Yes, there were a few balls that ended up on the ground -- I counted three -- but you have include the context. We're 24 hours removed from Stroud throwing to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr. Young didn't have that top-tier receiver group on Thursday, and I think NFL receivers would run under some of those deep shots that Young put downfield.
Scouts want to see the ball velocity and arm strength, and we saw that. I'm not making excuses for a few missed vertical-throw connections, but it has to be accounted for in the evaluation of Thursday's session.
Not the environment to show his best traits
I said this on Wednesday, but we don't draft quarterbacks solely off pro days. At the end of the day, it's throwing passes to uncovered receivers without any pressure or chaos. And if you were dropped onto the planet on Wednesday and only watched the workouts of Stroud and Young, you'd point to Stroud as the better passer. His workout was more impressive, and his skill set better fits pro-day situations. Stroud displayed more zip on the ball and produced more "wow" throws.
But Young's best traits aren't things that show up in this spot. No defense? He's at his best navigating a defense. I can't remember another quarterback prospect who managed pressure as well as he does when they were coming out of college. The spatial awareness in the pocket is what separates Young. He senses pressure and then shows creativity in escaping it. He climbs, slides and maneuvers in the pocket in a truly unique way for a kid coming out of college -- and he sees the whole field really well while he's doing it. And that doesn't show up at a pro day.
Panthers continue QB tour
The Carolina Panthers moved from Columbus to Tuscaloosa, and their contingent went to dinner with Young the night before his workout. Carolina's group again included owner David Tepper, general manager Scott Fitterer, coach Frank Reich and others. Young didn't throw at the combine, so this was an opportunity for them to see him in that setting.
I've heard some buzz that Carolina likes Young at No. 1, but like I said Wednesday (more below), the Panthers are going to put out a lot of smokescreens to keep the competition off the scent. And frankly, they are likely far from a final decision on who they want with the top draft pick. I know this: Carolina is blessed to have a really tough decision on its hands, because there are some really good quarterbacks atop this class.
I spoke to Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban a little bit on Thursday, too. He likened Young to Drew Brees in the way he sees the field and handles duress. Much like we saw from the former Saints quarterback, no moment is too big for Young.
I asked Saban to take me back to the recruiting process on Young. Alabama can bring in just about any QB it wants, and at the time Young was coming out of high school, he was 5-foot-10 and down around 180 pounds. Why take a risk on a smaller quarterback? It's a question NFL teams are dealing with right now, especially the Panthers. Saban told me that he spoke with coaches and players that Young had faced, and everyone said Young was the best player they had ever played against. Then he got to know how Young thinks about the game, and he could just tell very quickly that he was different in that regard. And here we are a few years later, with Young in contention to be the top pick in the NFL draft.
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Pro day: March 22 | Ranking: No. 3 (QB2)
HT: 6-foot-3 | WT: 214 pounds
A clinic in ball placement
I've called Stroud the most pure pocket passer in the 2023 draft class, and we saw why on Wednesday. Yes, it was a scripted pro day with no defensive backs jumping routes or pass-rushers barring down on him, but Stroud was about as close to perfect as he could have been during his throwing session. It was almost like he was walking the ball directly into his receivers' hands at times. We saw excellent ball placement over and over.
Not that this was a surprise. His tape is littered with beautifully layered throws that demonstrate high-end touch and timing, and I don't think there is an NFL-level pass that he can't make. He's accurate to all three levels of the field. After all, Stroud is one of just three passers to have a college career QBR above 90 since the stat was first tracked in 2004 (90.4), joining Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields, per ESPN Stats & Information research.
He has a smooth delivery and enough arm strength to fit the ball into windows. We saw some of that arm strength at the pro day -- and he wasted no time in doing so. Normally we see quarterbacks work their way up to downfield shots and warm up a bit with shorter throws, but Stroud sent the first 20 or so passes to the intermediate or deep levels of the field. He was hitting throws on the rails down both sidelines, changing trajectories and hitting the strike zone with regularity. Scouts loved it. It was really impressive stuff.
Lingering concerns about his work outside the pocket
Stroud's mobility will continue to be the main question mark in his evaluation. We saw flashes of what he can do outside the pocket in the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Georgia, but scouts want to see more of it. And that includes throwing on the run and extending the play. Can he create when things break down with consistency?
The only mistakes I saw on Wednesday from Stroud came on a pair of passes when he was rolling to his left. They were a bit off-target. But that's not his strength, and it's an area he can keep working on as he develops as a rookie. And he did look more effective throwing on the move to his right side.
Stroud did not run the 40-yard dash at his pro day, and he didn't run it at the combine earlier this month, either. We won't have the timed speed datapoint for him before the draft, but he appears to have good speed for the position on tape. We just didn't see enough of it at Ohio State. Per ESPN Stats & Information, Stroud never had more than eight rushes in a game in his career (not including sacks). And in 28 career games, he rushed for just 136 yards. For context, 18 different NFL QBs had more rushing yards than that last season alone.
Panthers' intrigue at No. 1
Pro days are just one small part of the pre-draft process for prospects, but Stroud is certainly doing everything he can in the battle to be the No. 1 pick. It's no surprise that the Carolina Panthers -- who hold that top pick -- had a large presence at Ohio State on Wednesday. I was told 18 people from the organization were on-site. Owner David Tepper and his wife, Nicole, were both in attendance, as were new coach Frank Reich, general manager Scott Fitterer, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and passing game coordinator Parks Frazier. Stroud had dinner with the Panthers' group on Tuesday night.
It's not often we see owners at pro day workouts, but before you get too excited, it's worth noting that Tepper and Co. will continue on to the pro days for the rest of the top QBs, including Young's workout on Thursday in Alabama. This group is focused on solving the quarterback issue in Carolina.
One interesting thing regarding the Panthers is Reich's history with quarterbacks. He has worked solely with big-framed passers who thrive from within the pocket. The list includes Peyton Manning (6-5), Philip Rivers (6-5), Carson Wentz (6-5), Nick Foles (6-6), Andrew Luck (6-4), Jacoby Brissett (6-4) and Matt Ryan (6-4). It's not super rare to work with taller quarterbacks, but it's another nugget. Perhaps it comes into play in the team's decision, as Carolina chooses between the 6-foot-3 Stroud, 5-foot-10 Young, 6-foot-4 Richardson and 6-foot-4 Levis.
We also need to be prepared for Carolina to float rumors about different people within the organization having infatuations with each of the four top quarterbacks over the next few weeks. Could the Panthers even be putting pressure on the Texans, attempting to force Houston into trading up for the No. 1 pick and recovering some of the lost draft capital from their move up the board in early March? Anything is possible as Carolina does its homework on all four guys.
Bonus: Smith-Njigba looked great
Of course, Ohio State's top-tier draft prospects go well beyond just Stroud. I was impressed with receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on Wednesday. He hadn't run a 40-yard dash at the combine but turned in a 4.50 at the pro day -- a solid time. Remember, he also had the fastest three-cone drill (6.57 seconds) and short shuttle (3.93 seconds) among receivers at the combine, demonstrating his elite change-of-direction ability.
Ohio State offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline said that JSN could be the best of the receiver group to come out of Columbus in recent years, high praise considering Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson are also part of that list. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Smith-Njigba ends up the first receiver off the board in April.