NFL
By: Brock Vierra
Will Levis won the NFL Draft. I know that sounds ridiculous to say about someone who at one point was being projected to be taken first or second overall to not being selected in the first round. And you gotta feel for the guy, I personally don’t have him as a top player but to have the expectations that you’re gonna be a first-round QB and to sit with your family backstage while the players next to you have the dream of playing in the NFL come true while yours hasn’t yet is incredibly difficult to handle.
To leave the back room knowing you’ll be drafted from your hotel is hard. To watch the joy and celebration occur for others, to watch other mothers cry tears of joy while yours is holding back tears of disappointment and sadness isn’t something I’d wish on my worst enemy but here we are. However, there is a bright side to this dark day, and here’s why. Despite the position he is in and the unknown future of his career, he still has a whole host of options and opportunities ahead of him. Now being a second-round QB isn’t for the faint of heart.
Is Will Levis A Day 2 Talent
As stated by DeShone Kizer, a second-round QB comes with first-round expectations with the ability to be easily discarded if not met. However, before Lamar Jackson’s deal today, Jalen Hurts, a second-round QB just signed the biggest contract in NFL history. Derek Carr at one point did the same and the list of non-first-round QBs having great careers continues.
If you’re not in the Top 10, the money is gonna be similar as you keep falling. However, in Will Levis’ case, he will only get a 4-year deal. Thus no 5th-year option, so if he impresses, he gets a contract sooner than his first-round counterparts and he’d be eligible for the franchise tag sooner. He won’t get tossed around and have his money put on idle for years like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield.
Secondly, there’s a good chance he’ll go to a situation that will allow him to grow and not necessarily carry the weight of a day 1 starter. There’s a very good chance that he’ll end up with the Rams or with Seattle and both those places have QBs that will probably be gone from their respective teams in 2 years. Matt Stafford looks to be on the verge of retirement and Geno Smith’s contract is structured so that he’ll be released after year 2. He’ll learn, he’ll grow and in Seattle, he’ll have two top targets and the reigning ROTY in the backfield. At the Rams, he’ll be operating the same system he used at Kentucky (his college OC was a Rams assistant) while having the best offensive mind in the game as his HC and Cooper Kupp as his WR1.
Even if he falls past that which I doubt, Will Levis has the opportunity to make something of himself. The current state of QBs in the NFL is one of need and trust me, not every team has one. To Will Levis, I say stay the course, be patient, and trust in your abilities. Today can be just an astrix in your story and many QBs in the league didn’t start out as first-round picks.
By not being selected by a team who just needs a QB to fill a slot or wants a project with no plan, he’s won a significant battle in the war that is the NFL. He will continue to grow and not having the pressure of being a Top-10 pick might be the key to unlocking the potential many scouts have raved about. The Crux of the first round is that only 32 or in this year, 31 men get selected. However there’s a whole host of busts in Canton carved of men who never sniffed a top 32 selection and if Will Levis is the exception, falling into the lap of the NFC West is the blessing he needs.
