The Tennessee Titans made an aggressive move up the board in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft to select Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. Levis’s slide was one of the biggest surprises of Day 1, as there were rumors swirling that he was who the Indianapolis Colts were targeting at No. 4 if he even made it that far. Levis was reportedly telling friends and family the Carolina Panthers were going to pick him first overall.
Neither of those things occurred as Levis didn’t hear his name called until the second day of the draft. Tennessee selected him No. 33 overall after completing a deal with the Arizona Cardinals, landing a 2023 third-round pick as well in exchange for their 2023 second and third-round picks and a 2024 third-round pick.
The Cardinals were owners of the No. 3 overall pick, and the Titans were mentioned as a possible trade candidate to put themselves in position for a quarterback. Alas, Arizona traded the pick to the Houston Texans, picking up a 2024 first-round pick in the process.
It all worked out in the end for the Titans, who ended up with one of the top signal callers in the draft. However, Levis does have his work cut out for him heading into offseason programs. According to NFL Rookie Watch on Twitter, he is going to start as the third-stringer at quarterback.
In a recent interview, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said that Ryan Tannehill remains the starter, while 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis is his backup. Vrabel did add that Levis is going to receive opportunities to prove himself and will have an equal chance to become the starter by Week 1.
This is certainly some big news coming from the organization. As long as Tannehill is on the roster, he will likely have a leg up in the competition to start. But, should a quarterback need arise around the league, Tannehill is someone that could draw trade interest.
After seeing Willis on the field last season, albeit in a small sample size, there are likely plenty of people within the organization and fans that are ready to move on from him. The regime that selected Willis is no longer in place, which puts him even further behind the eight-ball should he struggle to perform.
Coming from a pro-style offense at Kentucky, Levis will be ahead of most rookies when it comes to adjusting to life in the NFL. He has plenty of potential but it will be up to Vrabel and his staff to develop and hone it.
Outside of Derrick Henry and hopefully Treylon Burks, this is a tough situation for a rookie to walk into. Tennessee needs to find more weapons offensively if they want any of the quarterbacks to find success in 2023.
