After Will Levis’s surprising slide out of the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the biggest story entering the draft’s second day is where Levis will get selected. And despite the Colts seemingly already set with their quarterback of the future, a tweet from owner Jim Irsay implies that they are still considering the Kentucky quarterback with the 35th overall pick near the top of Round Two.
The Colts were heavily connected to Levis throughout the pre-draft process, but opted to take Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick instead. Both Richardson and Levis were heavily debated as prospects throughout the months leading up to the draft, as both had attractive physical traits as big, mobile, athletic quarterbacks but had very limited success on the field in college.
[Colts take biggest but best risk of draft selecting Anthony Richardson at No. 4]
So here Irsay is, after the Colts had seemingly convinced everyone else they were taking Levis at fourth overall, hinting that they may take him after all and use their two most valuable picks on high-upside but flawed quarterbacks and pit them against each other for the right to fill the massive shoes of past Colts franchise quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.
Since Irsay mentioned them in his tweet, it’s worth pointing out that the San Francisco 49ers ended up with future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young years apart from each other, extremely unlike what Irsay’s Colts would be doing in this draft. Montana was drafted in 1979, while Young did not even come out of college until 1984, and spent time with the Los Angeles Express of the original USFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the 49ers in 1987 — after Montana had already won two of his four Super Bowl titles.
Why Will Levis’ attitude kicked him out of the first round
The best-case scenario for the Colts is probably something more like what Washington did in 2012, drafting Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III second overall but also taking Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins later in the fourth round of that same draft. Griffin had a stellar rookie season, but his career was derailed by a torn ACL suffered near the end of that year. Cousins would go on to become a solid starting quarterback for both Washington and the Minnesota Vikings and has made the playoffs three times in his career as a starter.
Of course, Irsay — one of the most outspoken members of the NFL’s ownership ranks — could also just be engaging in some draft day trolling.
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