Yahoo Sports NFL Draft: Where will Will Levis land? Looking at each of the possible landing spots
There's nothing Will Levis can do about falling out of the first round. He was subjected to a long and public wait on Thursday night and never got picked.
All Levis can do is move forward, and that starts with the second round on Friday. Presumably Levis will be a second-round pick in the NFL draft. At this point he probably just wants to hear his name called by someone.
Here are the teams that might take the leap on Levis (and many of these teams could be looking at Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker as well):
Detroit Lions
Among teams who could realistically look at taking Levis, the Lions will have the first crack with the third pick of the second round. Though, the Pittsburgh Steelers have the first pick of the second round and could get trade calls. Levis makes sense for the Lions as a developmental player behind Jared Goff, and he won't cost much. The Lions might decide that adding more pieces to help them win now and finally get their first division title since 1993 is the better path, but it wouldn't be crazy to take Levis.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams make sense. Matthew Stafford's health is a concern and he's 35. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic said the Rams have done a lot of work on late quarterbacks but "it would be a surprise in my mind if they took one early," but she said she couldn't rule it out. If Levis is there with the fifth pick of the second round, the Rams would have to at least consider it. Levis could sit and learn behind Stafford for at least a year. This seems like an ideal landing spot for the player and the team.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks and Lions are in a very similar spot. They have veteran quarterbacks and showed confidence in them by not drafting Levis (or anyone else) in the first round. But the thought of using an extra second-round pick to take Levis and have him develop makes sense. The Seahawks have the sixth pick of the second round from the Russell Wilson trade, a gift that keeps giving.
Las Vegas Raiders
Jimmy Garoppolo was signed to be the new starter, but taking a young quarterback for Josh McDaniels to groom has to be an option. It doesn't seem likely, but it would make sense if Levis isn't gone by the seventh pick of the second round.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints have Derek Carr, but he's 32. As the Saints found out in Drew Brees' retirement, you don't want to be looking for a quarterback when you need one. I doubt the Raiders are the landing spot for Levis but we've seen weirder things happen.
Tennessee Titans
When the Chiefs were on the board with the 31st pick to end the first round, they got trade calls but GM Brett Veach said they passed because the teams calling were in the "mid-40s." The Titans are No. 41 overall and while that isn't necessarily mid-40s, they could use a quarterback. Hmm. They probably can't count on Malik Willis being the QB of the future, though he's still a talented project. If Levis falls to the 10th pick of the second round, would the Titans pass?
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons seem set on Desmond Ridder, and it wouldn't make too much sense to cut him off to take another non-first round QB in Levis. But we'll list them just in case.
New England Patriots
Are the Patriots already souring on Mac Jones? If so, would they be interested in a big-armed QB with the 15th pick of the second round? It's hard to rule it out.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders have Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett and giving that combo a year does make some sense for them. It would also make some sense to add Levis if he keeps falling to the 16th pick of the second round.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Maybe the Buccaneers are waiting on the 2024 NFL draft QB derby. Maybe they just don't like Levis. But it was a bit of a surprise they passed on him in the first round. They have Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask, which shouldn't preclude them from taking another swing at QB. If Levis is still there with the 19th pick of the second round and the Bucs pass again, it's really hard to figure out who might take Levis and when.
