If you’re going to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL, an absurd level of self-confidence is a prerequisite.
It doesn’t hurt to have a laser rocket arm, either.
As it turns out, Kentucky’s Will Levis has both, and he’s already showing them off in advance of the 2023 NFL draft.
One of this year’s top prospects at the game’s most important position, Levis is making it cleat that he’s ready to compete at all times.
Speaking to the media Friday at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, Levis was asked why he decided to throw in the on-field drills at this year’s event, and his answer was emphatic (via NFL.com’s Eric Edholm):
“Because I’ve got a cannon,” Levis said, “and I want to show it off.”
Levis is competing with a handful of other talented prospects to be the first quarterback off the board in this year’s draft. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Florida’s Anthony Richardson are also expected to throw in Saturday’s workout, while Alabama’s Bryce Young plans to wait until the Crimson Tide’s pro day.
That unbridled confidence isn’t limited to the combine workouts, either.
“Yeah, I mean, my goal is to win more than anybody,” Levis said (via Edholm). “I want to be the greatest of all time. Like, you’re crazy if you don’t think that way.”
“I mean, I think right now I can bring them a championship team, you know? That’s the confidence I have,” Levis said when asked what he can bring to an NFL team as a rookie. “I think I’m able to assimilate myself very, very well — better than anybody else, I believe. That’s the confidence I have just due to my experience and just due to my physical tools, I think that I’m gonna be able to be plugged into any offense, learn it well and become a leader very quickly.”
Levis’ 2022 campaign showed some of the same inconsistencies that were present during the previous year, leaving plenty of question marks about his ability to be a reliable performer at the next level. He acknowledges that he’s still a work in progress, but Levis is determined to make the most of his opportunities.
“Obviously, the goal is to progress,” Levis said. “I’m gonna get better every year. I’m not expecting myself to be the best quarterback in the league right off the bat. But, I mean, that’s just what development is all about. And that’s what I’m gonna lean on the coaches and staff and the players around me to help me get to that level.”
“I think this past year, the season didn’t go as well as we would have wanted it to,” he continued. “But I mean, I learned a lot from it. I learned how to kind of battle through adversity and just dealt with a lot of things physically. I think it just made me a better kind of player (and) a better quarterback because of it.”
Levis obviously wants to be one of the first passers off the board in this year’s draft, but can’t wait to reward whichever teams hands them the keys to their future.
“I don’t focus on things I can’t control, but I want to be selected as high as possible,” he said. “At the end of the day, I just want the team that believes in me. I’ve gotta make somebody fall in love with me. And that’s all it takes.”