Top QB prospect boasts about his arm strength
INDIANAPOLIS – The question was simple enough.
For Will Levis, so was the answer. “Because I got a cannon,” Levis said, succinctly explaining why he decided to participate in last weekend’s throwing drills at the NFL scouting combine. “And I want to show it off.”
Levis’ arm talent, he said, is what he believes separates himself from the other top quarterbacks in the 2023 draft class. Although many mock drafts predict he will be the fourth quarterback off the board behind Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson, Levis was not shy in praising his passing capabilities.
“I think I’ve got one of the stronger arms to come out of any draft class in recent memory,” said Levis, who spent the past two seasons at Kentucky after transferring from Penn State.
He also knows there is plenty of room to improve his overall game. Levis’ vertical jump on March 4 registered 34 inches, fifth among quarterbacks, and his broad jump was 10 feet, 4 inches (second).
“I think that I’m immediately able to be plugged into any offense, learn it well, and become a leader very quickly for whatever team I play for,” Levis said. “But obviously, the goal is to progress. I want to get better every year. I’m not expecting myself to be the best quarterback in the league right off the bat.
“That’s just what development is all about. That’s what I’m going to lean on the coaches and the staff and the players around me to help get to that level.”
Draft analysts have made the comparison of Levis to Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, who drafted him with the belief he could develop and that accuracy would eventually catch up to the natural arm strength.
At 6-foot-4, Levis is shorter than Allen but has a similar frame. Levis weighed in at 229 pounds at the combine.
“I can definitely see it,” Levis said, “but we’re two different types of guys.”
The way Allen uses his legs and size is something Levis has actually spoken to Allen about.
The pro quarterback Levis is especially attempting to emulate this offseason is the No. 1 pick from three years ago, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals. Levis said he has watched plenty of Burrow film recently, with an emphasis on how Burrow moves in the pocket and uses his footwork efficiently to create a solid base to throw from.
“Compared to offseasons in the past, I’ve really tried to perfect the movement leading up to the throw,” Levis said. “I think that when I make some inaccurate passes, it’s due to how I’m initiating the movement leading into it.
“A lot of times I could get away with it because of how talented of an arm I have.”
Levis met with several teams last week. Being the first quarterback taken isn’t a priority, he said. The right fit is.
“I don’t focus on things I can’t control,” Levis said. “I want to be selected as high as possible, but at the end of the day, I just want a team that believes in me. Got to make somebody fall in love with me. That’s all it takes.”