Scouting Notes
- QB Type = Hybrid (see Key below for QB-Type reference)
- Big body, strong arm, physical and tough.
- Unfortunately, that’s really all he has.
- He could never string a drive or even a few completions together, never gaining rhythm or momentum. As an offensive leader, that seems impossible.
- Nearly no impressive throws on tape. Even the ones that seemed impressive were marred with mistakes (a deep ball but a missed read, for example).
- Showed one of the biggest concerning traits in all of football – he made everything, even the easy, look difficult.
- An alarming amount of “what are you doing” plays.
- Biggest selling point was his success in a pro-style offense in 2021, but after the departure of the “composer” of that offense, the production came crashing down.
Short Summary
I rarely do this, but I can confidently say Will Levis is “not that guy”. I truly don’t get the hype surrounding him, let alone as the No. 1 overall pick?!? It’s just baffling.
As a Quarterback, Will Levis is simply not good. He can’t consistently get it done in the air, he can’t read defenses, or even complete check downs reliably. He missed wide-open targets way too often.
This would all be stomach-able if he was a great runner, but he is average at best. He is big and physical, which aids him in the run game, but he isn’t elusive or slippery, and he doesn’t read running lanes well either. To make matters worse, his decision-making of when to run is completely hit-or-miss. He also gets very jittery as a runner, often taking extra unnecessary steps.
To his credit, he looked great against Georgia, which says a lot, but that seems like fools gold to me. Everything else from his full 2+ years as a starter have shown me he is not a reliable or consistent thrower of the football.
The NFL community loves to fall for big, tough Quarterbacks with rocket arms, but that’s all Will Levis is – big, tough, and with a strong arm. Every other aspect of the game is a huge problem.
It’s hard to throw so much disappointment and distrust at one player, but I truly don’t think Will Levis will ever be a reliable or even above-average NFL starter.
Scouting Card Key
- Age refers to the age of the player come draft night, rounded to the nearest half-age.
- Percentage numbers in the Player Info and Combine Stats sections – This refers to the percentile that number belongs to among all players at his position, going back nearly a decade.
- QB Type – The QB Archetype (one of Surgeon, Runner, and Hybrid), as detailed in my QB Scouting Guide.
- GP – Games Played
- INTs – Interceptions
- AY/A – Air Yards per attempt. I always choose this stat over Y/A, since Yards per attempt can be inflated by great yards after catch plays, which are mostly unrelated to QB play.
- BTT and BTT% – Big Time Throw and Big Time Throw Rate. The rate is how many of those you completed relative to how many passes you’ve completed in total.
- TWP and TWP% – Turnover Worthy Plays. These are plays deemed by PFF Scouts and Graders to be plays that should have been a turnover, but by circumstance (a dropped Interception for example) it didn’t end up as one. (The percentile of this stat is of course the inverse, the higher the rate, the lower the percentile.)
- Adj. Comp. % – Adjusted Completion percentage. This assumes all passes that should have been caught were caught, therefore not penalizing a Quarterback too much for dropped passes.
- TTT – Time to Throw. This stat doesn’t say much about the QB play, but it gives you an insight into the situation in which a player was playing. Certain players get cushioned and never hit in college, then falter after a few NFL hits.
- P2S% – Pressure to Sack rate. This stat measures what percent of a player’s pressured plays ended in a sack. This stat helps quantify pocket mobility and pocket presence. (The percentile of this stat is of course the inverse, the higher the rate, the lower the percentile.)
- Clutch – The ability to perform in high-pressure situation, not necessarily end-of-game.
- OTN – Outside the Numbers. This is the player’s ability to throw accurately to the edges of the football field.
Credit
Advanced stats – pff.com
Scouting card template / idea – Jordan Pun @Texans_Thoughts
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