The Mayo-Man’s Debut

Will Levis struts off the field in his NFL debut as a starter. (Photo by Andrew Nelles)

After a dramatic day 1 of the NFL draft, Levis sat worried as he had to go to bed that night with his NFL future still unknown. A few days before the draft, a Reddit post caught fire claiming that someone close to the family had said Levis was telling everyone he would be selected 1st overall to the Carolina Panthers; this post may have rubbed a few general managers the wrong way.

Will Levis, a QB out of Kentucky University, was the 33rd pick in the NFL draft - selected by the Tennessee Titans. The Titans entered the season with Ryan Tannehill declared as their starting QB, however Tannehill suffered a high ankle sprain during the loss to the Baltimore Ravens. This injury presented Levis the opportunity to start in his first NFL game. Levis played college football at Penn State before transferring to Kentucky. Upon graduating from college, the Will Levis draft profile highlighted his strengths as a quarterback, emphasizing his prototypical size and elite arm strength and talent. Scouts also recognized him as an athletic playmaker with an effortless release, yet they observed weaknesses such as poor pocket awareness and difficulties against zone coverage. Additionally, his profile pointed out a subpar touchdown-interception ratio and occasional struggles in finding a rhythm in the passing game.

Levis went 19-29 for 238 passing yards and 4 passing touchdowns, 3 of them to DeAndre Hopkins. The Mayo Man led the Titans to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 28-23 behind his stellar play. This performance from Levis could be seen as beginner's luck but if nothing else, he displayed his arm talent and ability to create big plays in the passing game; something that has been lacking in Tennessee’s offense all season. Tannehill is expected to miss next week's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night which will give Levis another start. If Levis has another good game and can manage to win against the Steelers (who have a very solid defense), the Titans might have to consider moving forward with him as the starter for the rest of the season.