There were two levels of surprise when the 33rd pick of the 2023 NFL Draft was announced: 1) surprise that Kentucky quarterback Will Levis had slid back this far and 2) surprise that it was the Titans who felt they needed him badly enough to trade up to draft him. We have a bit more information today as we’ve moved on into the later rounds of the draft. 
There were likely several factors that culminated in Levis falling out of the first round, but one of the sticking points was reportedly a potentially lingering toe injury that gave a few teams pause. According to Titans staff writer Jim Wyatt, Levis has let the team know that “his toe feels good” and, currently, there are no plans for follow-up procedures. Any concerns about the previous ailment should be put to rest, especially when considering that he won’t be expected to start any time soon.
That is straight from the mouth of head coach Mike Vrabel, who confirmed this morning that Levis is not expected to be the new starter in Tennessee, according to Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. With incumbent starter Ryan Tannehill returning for at least one more year and Malik Willis back after a turbulent rookie season, Levis has a few depth chart spots to overcome before he’s running with the first-team on a consistent basis.
“Ryan will be the starting quarterback on Monday,” Vrabel confirmed at a press conference last night. “Malik will be the backup. Will will be the third quarterback. And what I’ve told them is whatever happens after that will be up to the players. That’s what it’s always been here. That’s what we always want it to be.”
Tannehill returns after a season that saw him struggle with a lack of production and with injuries. When Tannehill missed time, Tennessee attempted to turn to Willis, a third-round rookie out of Liberty who was expected to be a long-term development project. With Willis seemingly overmatched in his early days as a pro, the team eventually signed local veteran product Joshua Dobbs for two late starts to help close the season.
The Titans shuffled their offensive staff a bit in the offseason, promoting passing game coordinator Tim Kelly to offensive coordinator and bringing in Charles London from Atlanta to serve as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The new coaches reportedly are not sold on Willis and may not be committed to sticking with the project passer. With Dobbs returning to Cleveland, it makes much more sense for Tennessee to invest a number of draft picks in securing a potential quarterback of the future.
Levis, much like Willis, has many physical tools that can lead to success at the NFL-level but will have some mental development to undergo before taking the reins in Tennessee. His decision making was often called into question as he threw 25 interceptions in Lexington.
Willis and Levis presumably still have some time to work on their respective developments. Tannehill has one more year on his contract and should be the starter in 2023. What happens after that will be determined in camps and practices in Nashville.
I’m just amazed the Titans are in this situation and thankful that the Steelers aren’t. For weeks, the debate about drafting Pickett or Willis went on and on when the obvious choice was Pickett…a guy much more ready to play at the next level than Willis
Titans are in this situation because of the prior GM Robinson. If he would have been able to build a team around a QB, then the Levis pick would be fine. Hell, the Willis pick wouldn’t even seem that awful. But because the team lacks overall talent, the QB will suffer. Levis will be fine if he’s allowed to sit for a year behind Tannehill.
Levis’a ceiling is Tannehill’s floor
The ceiling is the roof.
Tannehill had his best year after several seasons. In a horrible conference, with a 2000 yd rusher.
Levis is walking into a completely different situation than Tannehill did with the Titans. Line is worse, receivers are not there, and Henry is 30.
Levis can be a mid-tier QB, and if new GM can build a roster around that then his ceiling is at least what Tannehill’s was.
Levis is a joke. Ask anybody who follows the SEC. Nobody feared Levis because he does not make good decisions at all, which will get worse with NFL pass rushers. Titans took another dump on themselves as usual.