The Case For Will Levis

I wouldn't hate taking him at #13. He has a lot of talent. Potential.

That's the problem overall. It's a ton of potential, with faith needed that the NYJ have the ability to clean up and develop someone like, Will Levis. He needs work.

However... He has Josh Allen vibes for me. All day long. The ceiling Is just as high for this kid for me coming out. If we drafted him, let him sit, while he cleans up his game. We could have a really awesome QB.

Strong arm. Not Josh Allen strong, It's a level underneath that, but it's still very good. I love his process In the pocket, I think he reads defenses better than most QB's coming out of college. Which Is a very good sign. Athletic, can run. He Is a turnover machine, needs better ball placement, technique and throwing motion needs work as well. IMO

He's worth drafting. I don't think he could be the guy day 1 though, he would need seasoning first, and I think that will be the downfall towards drafting him.

 

I don’t think the NFL can go back to the days of sitting first round QB’s for years. The contract costs and structure don’t allow for it. That said, I do think it’s going to cause teams to really think twice about using high first rounders on guys that aren’t ready to play on day one. Levis is a perfect example of a guy who needs to sit. I’d be for drafting him if we’ve signed Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers will be here for 2 years which will be enough time for a guy like Levis to learn. I look at Richardson the same way. Could be very talented QB’s, but they’ll tank if they’re starting day one.

 

That's a plan. Nothing wrong with drafting a 1st round QB if you have a plan to develop him.

 

I'd say the NFL cannot continue to play guys early whose sole qualification is their draft position. It. Doesn't. Work.

 

So I wonder if there is some quantitive analysis on the %i increase in performance of a QB that sits for a year or 2. Some people subscribe to the idea a player learns best on the field, but the biggest factor in pushing a QB to start is money. So I wonder if you could quantify the lost money and value of sitting a QB vs the lost money of said QB busting out ala Zach and Darnold. Maybe if they could actually show monetary value in sitting guys who need to sit then we’d see a lower bust rate.

 

I'm not equipped with the financials and statistics but I know there is a chart or two out there that assign a value to every draft slot. If a guy is drafted in an expensive slot and he ends up never being a significant contributor to the team that paid the price for drafting him there is a clearcut waste of assets and, probably more important, time. This is the NFL where every win counts and there is no way to recoup the losses incurred while an unprepared player is taking up valuable space on the playing field where the wins are generated.

If the player is not contributing at the level he's being paid for he may also robbing other players of the opportunity to develop. Linemen need to work together, throwers and catchers need to work together, DBs need to work together and one guy can easily hold back entire units. A team's staff needs to work together to do a better job of determining what help a player needs before he's ready for prime time and if they are equipped to get him that help.

The value is taken as soon as the commissioner calls the name, it does not return simply because the player is on the field. Further value may be lost by rushing the guy into the game at the expense of wins and other player development. We've seen that scenario repeat all too often as Jets fans.

 

I appreciate the work and analysis that went into your compilation. As I read the positives, I thought to myself with the exception of one or two points, this could be 90% of the top rated QBs coming out this year, or drafted in the last 10 years. However, the real problem that prevents the Jets from drafting a QB is that they've built, and maybe quicker than they expected, a roster that has the talent to play at a high level now, not 2-3 years from now. You can't ask professionals who know they can win to repeat the inevitable growing pains needed to develop an NFL QB. If there was a Luck or Lawrence prospect, I might be persuaded, but Levis is not in that category.

 

0.0 interest in him. Then again, I said the same thing about Josh Allen of Wyoming... lol .. I must be a talent evaluator within the Jets front office.

Levis was originally with PSU. Couldn't beat out a 5 year journeyman, Sean Clifford. Levis was the RUNNING option qb when he came into games. Because he couldn't beat out Clifford, he transferred to Kentucky. Didn't impress me one bit when I watched him. To me he is NO WAY a 1st rd talent QB. No way.

Again, I didn't want Josh Allen. We all make mistakes.

 

Josh Allen is kind of unique. Huge physical potential matched with an inconsistent mental approach to the game and some real mechanical problems. So he had a very high ceiling if he could figure out the other half of the game and fix the high potential half.

Year two he got some help with the inconsistencies and he went all out on fixing the mechanical issues and he turned into a very good QB.

He's unlikely to be a Hall of Famer barring a Super Bowl win but he has a chance.