(AP) — Kentucky quarterback Will Levis was projected as high as the second overall pick in the NFL draft. Instead, he's heading to Round 2 still waiting for a team to buzz his phone.
“Not shocked — surprised,” said ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., who had projected Levis as a top-four pick. "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,” Kiper said. “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.”
Other mock drafters figured Levis could go as high as No. 2 overall.
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“We all thought he'd be a first-round pick,” Kiper said, figuring at worst that Levis would drop to Tampa Bay at No. 19. “Well, he got down a lot further than that. He's available in the second round.”
Carolina made Bryce Young of Alabama the top overall pick and Houston chose Ohio State's CJ Stroud over Levis and the Colts bypassed Levis for Florida QB Anthony Richardson Jr.
Levis sat uncomfortably, sometimes squirming under the watchful eyes of millions of television viewers after several mock drafters projected him to follow Young to the podium to pose with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, jersey in hand.
Levis and, to a lesser extent, Hooker were seen as first-round locks by many largely because having a star quarterback has become a prerequisite to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy like Patrick Mahomes did while firing up the crowd of Chiefs fans before the draft began in Kansas City.
Rounds 2 and 3 are Friday night followed by the final four rounds Saturday.
