Every week in “4-Down Territory,” Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire go over the things you need to know about, and the things you need to watch, in the NFL right now. It’s all about draft prospects with the scouting combine getting started this week, so Doug and Luke get into a bunch of questions about all the draft prospects looking to raise their games in Indianapolis — both on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, and in private interviews with NFL teams.
Which top-tier prospect most needs a great combine performance?
Doug: I think Kentucky quarterback Will Levis is going to have to really impress in the interview rooms. If he throws during the drills, he’ll look great, because he has all the tools – that’s where all the Josh Allen comps come from. But when he sits down with GMs and coaches in those 15-minute interviews, they’re going to ask him about a series of decisions on the field that have ranged from weird to completely head-scratching. Levis didn’t have the best supporting cast in 2022, and I’m not implying that he’ll blame anybody else for the hiccups in Kentucky’s passing game, but it will be absolutely crucial for Levis to not only explain what went wrong in all those plays, but to also get into how he’s working on all that stuff in the offseason.
Will Levis might be the next Josh Allen. He might also be the next Tim Tebow.
Luke: I think Levis is a great pick, but for the sake of debate, I’m gonna take TCU WR Quentin Johnston. We know he still needs some polish, but the allure with him is the size/speed/athleticism combo, and he’s got to show that off in a big way this week. If he doesn’t impress enough with those testing numbers, there are too many other receivers who could end up leapfrogging him when draft day rolls around because they bring similar explosiveness, but are more pro-ready, even if they don’t have his massive frame.
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