Diving into what caused Will Levis’ regression in 2022

Shaun Calderon takes a closer look at new Titans QB Will Levis’ 2022 season with Kentucky.

There is no denying the kind of talent that Tennessee Titans 2023 second-round pick and quarterback, Will Levis, possesses.

Levis is a big-bodied athlete who has everything you could want in a modern-day quarterback.

Not only does he have the elite arm talent that can make every throw on the field, but he’s also more than capable of producing big plays with his legs when the opportunity presents itself.

Levis’ talent has been evident throughout his entire career, but he especially shined in 2021 when he looked the part of a top quarterback prospect.

Per Pro Football Focus, he finished that season with the No. 21 quarterback grade in the country (90.6) out of the 294 that qualified that year.

The Kentucky product completed approximately 66 percent of his passes (232-of-352), totaling 2,827 passing yards, 516 rushing yards, 33 total touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Unfortunately, Levis regressed in about every single way the following season.

He played in two fewer games, his overall grade dropped 22 points (68.6), he finished with 411 fewer passing yards, five fewer passing touchdowns, 397 fewer rushing yards, and seven fewer rushing touchdowns.

Knowing that, the question becomes: why did this happen, and how much of it was his fault?

To say that all of the blame is on Levis’ supporting cast wouldn’t be fair. However, it would also be pretty naive to think that cast didn’t play a massive role in his regression.

Back in 2021, the Kentucky product wasn’t surrounded by five-star talent or anything of that nature, but he did have legitimate NFL talent alongside him.

In fact, he had two teammates who were selected within the first 65 picks of the 2022 NFL Draft: wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson in Round 2, and center Luke Fortner in Round 3.

The two of them leaving had a massive impact on the Kentucky offense. The Wildcats were now forced to rely on young receivers who probably shouldn’t have been out there in the first place, while the offensive line was often out of sync in more ways than one.

The Wildcats essentially had guards trying to play tackle (and unsuccessfully, I might add), while their center constantly made the wrong calls, which often resulted in a disastrous rep for the offense.

The entire unit severely missed Fortner’s ability to get his group in the right protections so it can adequately counter the defensive attack.

Back in 2021, Levis was kept clean on 71.4 percent of his drop backs. Just one year later, those numbers went in the wrong direction, as he was only kept clean on 62.2 percent of his dropbacks.

To put those numbers into perspective, new Houston Texans quarterback and Ohio State product, C.J. Stroud, never saw his pressure rate go above 23 percent.

Once the brains of the Wildcats’ offensive line departed, it turned into a guessing game whenever the group was in situations where it had to correctly identify which defenders were coming and which ones were dropping.

The unit seemingly never picked up on any tendencies to help itself out, and that often resulted in Levis being the one to suffer the consequences, like a nagging toe injury that sidelined him for two games and subsequently limited his mobility for the rest of the year.

If you combine the inexperienced wide receivers, his toe injury and abysmal protection upfront, you have the crux of the reason why he saw the type of regression he did in his final season at Kentucky.

Now, don’t get me wrong: Levis did his part as well.

The former Wildcat has thrown double-digit interceptions in each of the last two seasons, and he has fumbled at least four times per year since the start of the 2019 campaign.

Also, back in 2021, Levis produced a “no pressure” passing grade of 90.4, but that number dropped down to 71.7 just one year later.

That’s obviously less than ideal, but you have to keep in mind that his arsenal of weapons (or lack thereof) undoubtedly played a role in this, as well. Plus, I think it would be fair to assume that he became more scattershot throughout the year knowing he had to get the ball out quickly or pay a harsh price.

That type of paranoia can force a quarterback to play in a hurry rather than being cool, calm and collected as the play develops. That’s also why pairing the Levis pick with a blue-chip lineman such as Peter Skoronski is a massive win for the offense.

Peter Skoronski’s 2022 grades via Pro Football Focus

As long as Levis is consistently protected, he’s shown that he can be an aggressive and lethal passer.

Tennessee clearly has some work to do when it comes to the pass-catching department, but protecting the investment is a nice start toward hopefully bringing the best NFL quarterback out of Levis going forward.

For a full scouting report on the Titans’ rookie signal-caller, click here.

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