Rams OC Breaks Down Will Levis
April 16th, 2023
Kentucky QB Will Levis.
So last week the Bucs hosted Kentucky quarterback Will Levis for a visit, one of 30 official prospect visits. And some in NFL circles think if Levis slides to No. 19, the Bucs might be players for his services.
So Joe found it intriguing that Jeff Howe of The Athletic got Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen to discuss Howe. So why’s that important? Well, first the Rams are unlikely to draft a quarterback with Matt Stafford still on the roster.
But also, Coen was Levis’ offensive coordinator at Kentucky in 2021. So who would know more about Levis than Coen?
(Coen is also the same guy who got a lot out of Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield in a short amount of time.)
Levis was damn good at Kentucky in 2021. Last year? Meh.
Tthat has a lot to do with different coordinators and an offensive line that was stripped of starters due to attrition, Coen thinks.
“If you get him in an offense where you run the football, get him on the perimeter with bootlegs and nakeds and movement, then max-protect play-pass, he can make every throw,” Coen said. “I’m not saying what [Levis’ new team] should do. That’s what I would do — try to limit the amount of dropbacks, (do some) quick-game, RPOs, get him on the run a little bit with lead blockers like they do with Josh Allen and Daniel Jones.
“Because he likes to get hit. He likes to run and play the game. He was just limited last year with an injury. The guy’s superpower is play-action, pushing the ball downfield, making every throw on the field. That’s his superpower. That’s what he’s great at.”
Well, this is backwards. He was playing poorly last year, per Coen, because he got hit. So why on earth would he have him run a mobile offense in the NF, getting blasted by grown-arse men?
However, the way new Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales says he wants to mold his offense, it almost sounds like he’s looking for a quarterback like Levis. Canales likes a running game that takes advantage of a mobile quarterback who can set up outside the pocket at times.
That’s Levis.
Without Coen at Kentucky, Levis’ numbers dropped. Joe wonders if this says more about Coen than Levis?
Dane Brugler, also of The Athletic, seems to think Levis needs more seasoning.
Physically built for the pro game, Levis is strong in the pocket, moves very well for his size and has a power arm to deliver with velocity and accuracy from various platforms. However, defenses are too easily able to put doubt in his mind, which leads to forced or inaccurate throws because of hesitancy in his game. Overall, Levis needs more reps to continue developing his read efficiency and ball placement, but he has an NFL starter’s skill set with his impressive physical tools (size, arm, athleticism) and exceptional competitive toughness. Similarities with Carson Wentz should be considered both a positive and negative, but he has starter-level traits and upside.
Yeah, the Carson Wentz comp spooks Joe.
Former NFL suit Michael Lombardi on his podcast “GM Shuffle” claims Levis is a “script quarterback.” This means as long as the script for a play is followed, Levis is fine. But once a play breaks down, so too does Levis.
Levis seems to be the type of quarterback teams talk themselves into when they need a one but pick in the middle of the pack because they are in quarterback purgatory.
Another question to be answered: If he was so good, why couldn’t he beat out Sean Clifford the Dog at Penn State? (Then again, James Franklin does coach Penn State.)
If Levis comes to the Bucs, Joe sure hopes someone breaks him of that gross habit of eating bananas whole, peel and all. Damn monkeys in the wild won’t even eat a banana peel.
Will Levis looks like Hulk with his rocket launching right arm that resembles NFL Blitz! 🎮
Ask anyone who’s been around Levis and they’ll tell you he’s a legend in the making! 📈
🎥: @theScore pic.twitter.com/CSY703zYOM
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 14, 2023
April 16th, 2023 at 12:07 am
Great. Now 2 bench sitting top draft picks.
April 16th, 2023 at 12:09 am
Not sold.
April 16th, 2023 at 12:13 am
The draft can’t get here fast enough!…
All QBs look pedestrian behind a a weak o-line…
strengthen the trenches and up-grade qbs later…
April 16th, 2023 at 2:17 am
So he’s got a rocket arm, accuracy issues and sometimes needs to get reigned in from being too amped up. Sounds a lot like a QB we took in the first round a few years back. Does he eat W’s?
April 16th, 2023 at 6:17 am
Why couldn’t he beat out Clifford? We could say that about tons of QBs that sat behind far worse QBs than Clifford who put up pretty decent numbers. Coaches have favorites. Joe Flacco sat for two years behind Tyler Palco. Winston sat behind EJ Manuel. Retire the pointless narratives please.
April 16th, 2023 at 7:09 am
NO PLEASE NO
Norm Snead > Levus
April 16th, 2023 at 7:11 am
The Peel is nutrient dense. Gorillas will eat the whole thing, peel and all. That being said Im ok passing on Levis.
April 16th, 2023 at 7:21 am
Well Joe, I guess you answered your own question. The coach wanted the guy you keep calling a cartoon character name. Maybe the cartoon character was a drop back passer and the coach preferred that style.
Why did so many pick X QB over Brady? Apparently that happened not so long ago in 49er territory.
It seems to be a matter of taste and style. Now Doesn’t it…
Why didn’t Todd Bowles use Brady in the correct Way? Why is the sky blue..?
Joe,.why Don’t you give that coach a call and ask him why? Why are you asking us again and again to psycho analys some coach some where again and again?
Once I get. Begging us to keep going back to a dry well is reaching. But that’s OK. I’ll just say it again. That coach preferred the other guys style. And he didn’t realize what Lewis was capable of UNTIL he did realize.
There you go. You never have to ask us to guess for you again. Or just call the guy and ask him. You have the connects to do it. Or at least that’s your job if you’re gonna keep asking the same question..
Seems you like a pocket passer and that’s ok. From what I hear, there is a damn good reason why he’s considered elite. And by the way, we have a Highly Successful pocket passer already on the roster. Seems Lewis is an opposite style and was Highly Successful as a Mobile QB. I’m guessing the Big Red Dog was more of a pocket passer that the coach preferred.
April 16th, 2023 at 7:23 am
Bring Gabbert back and let Trask bench sit another year.
April 16th, 2023 at 8:33 am
No way, too many interceptions. Just what we need an RPO Qb that is going to get killed in the NFL and has a high INT ratio. Draft a top LT and get a QB in the later rounds.
April 16th, 2023 at 8:43 am
No thanks tank and get Caleb Williams and be relevant for long time
April 16th, 2023 at 8:57 am
LOL
Yeah Take your “franchise QB who”likes to get hit” and run him right run him left in a college offense ….He’ll last about 1 quarter before they rush him to ICU! Geez!
April 16th, 2023 at 9:34 am
The guy “likes to get hit” Well there’s getting hit in college, and there’s getting hit in the pros
April 16th, 2023 at 9:57 am
Accuracy issues in college?
Where all you have to do is drop it into 5 yard radius
Decision making.. no thanks
Looks like Tarzan
Plays like Jameis
April 16th, 2023 at 11:32 am
James Franklin doesn’t run a pro set offense which is why he ruined Christian Hackenberg.
April 16th, 2023 at 11:37 am
If college coaches were that available that’s about all you would read on this site in April.
Joe can see that you haven’t watched a Penn State game the past nine years.
April 16th, 2023 at 11:53 am
Please do not waste you’re first PIC on another QB, their can be horrible QB pics in the first round, history has proved it, as well as Super Bowl Champs in the late rounds ex: Brady, Purdy hasn’t won a Super Bowl but looks to have the tools to get it done, run with what you have at QB and see what happens, it’s not like you are going to the Super Bowl this year anyway, although were still holding out hope!, we can wish can’t we, if you are going to be a run first offense it looks like you need Bijon worst than a QB
April 16th, 2023 at 12:09 pm
Hey, Joe, I used to keep iguanas. They’d DEVOUR bananas peel and all. I think monkeys do too, but IDK for sure
April 16th, 2023 at 12:10 pm
When is the last time a team drafted a QB in the 2nd round and didn’t even give him 10 snaps before drafting another QB in round 1?
I don’t want to take Levis, would prefer to see what we have and draft one next year if need be…but man, Trask must have been looking awful in practice these last cpl years for the organization to seemingly be so ready to move on.
April 16th, 2023 at 12:10 pm
Note, I meant they’d eat the whole banana in bites, not all at once.
April 16th, 2023 at 3:01 pm
Turf toe is not from “getting hit”…Is that the reason so many NFL players end up with Turf toe or is a common playing surface related injury??
It’s also not like Levis’ per game passing yds or per game TD rate dropped off the map….They were damn near identical. The difference is games played. 13 in 2021 vs 11 in 2022. But 22 stats came while playing hurt 3/4 of season behind bad OL & with 4 FR among top 5 targets.
The Clifford take is no different than asking why Burrow/Mayfield/Murray/Hurts needed to transfer to get Starter Reps???…The better question is how could Levis develop into a Day1 QB at UK in 2yrs but Clifford only a UDFA showcase guy after 5yrs with Franklin in Happy Valley??? Coaching & chance to show abilities PSU underutilized.
IMO, Levis comps very closely to Troy Aikman…College journey..Stature, play style…Stats….Troy left OU to spend 2yrs at UCLA in a NFL style offense to get a chance at the league. Levis’ journey from PSU to UK to the NFL very similar.
April 16th, 2023 at 3:54 pm
Caleb willuams generational player
April 16th, 2023 at 7:55 pm
FYI, Cohen is now the former Rams OC. He left this off-season to go back to Kentucky for the upcoming season. Don’t need to publish this, just sharing since you guys are big on facts. Love the site.
April 17th, 2023 at 12:52 pm
The next Jay Cutler it sounds like.