Kenny Pickett is the Steelers’ new beginning quarterback, however a former NFL quarterback and common supervisor really feel Pittsburgh can be higher off with former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.
Former Notre Dame standout and NFL quarterback Brady Quinn and former Vikings common supervisor Rick Spielman had been lately requested which quarterback would higher profit the 2023 Steelers.
“I’m taking Will Levis due to the upside,” Spielman stated on “With the First Pick” podcast.
“Same, I’d most likely take Levis,” Quinn stated. “Kenny Pickett is an efficient athlete, I believe Will Levis might be a bit of bit even higher of an athlete. Definitely, Levis has a stronger arm. Even although Pickett performed effectively down the stretch … I believe with Levis, there’s a bit of extra upside there.”
Brady stated that Levis reminds him of Matthew Stafford when Stafford was popping out of Georgia 14 years in the past.
“The ball jumps out of his fingers,” Brady stated of Levis. “Just comes out effortlessly, similar to Stafford. They do not need to put a lot on it. They each have howitzers for arms.”
In 24 video games with the Wildcats, Levis accomplished practically 66 % of his passes with 43 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. During his first 12 months at Kentucky, Levis helped the Wildcats win 10 video games that included a 20-18 win over Iowa within the Citrus Bowl.
At 6-3 and 222 kilos, Levis has the prototypical construct of an NFL quarterback. He additionally has a cannon for a proper arm that’s certainly one of many the reason why he’s anticipated to be drafted so excessive (this is how we graded his mix efficiency). Levis’ different attributes embrace the truth that he ran variations of Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan’s offenses at Kentucky. A assured participant who is not afraid to take calculated dangers downfield, Levis can be able to taking off for large positive factors on the bottom if given a gap.
Like each prospect, Levis has some query marks. While confidence is usually a superb trait for a quarterback to have, it at instances has led to Levis committing pricey turnovers (he had 25 interceptions and 17 fumbles throughout his school profession). Mechanics and ball placement are different areas of Levis’ recreation that might use additional enchancment.
Brady stated that Levis’ upside can be corresponding to Stafford’s popping out of school. While neither participant had wonderful school stats, Quinn feels that Levis’ upside greater than makes up for his lack of numbers.
“It wasn’t like statistically talking (Stafford) was wowing you at Georgia,” Quinn stated. “Stafford nonetheless went No. 1 general, I believe largely due to the upside. … (Levis has) a giant arm, and he is a good higher athlete than I believe Stafford was regardless that I believe Stafford is a greater athlete than we give him credit score for.”
Both Quinn and Spielman stated that Levis’ penchant for turnovers in school may no less than partly be attributed to subpar cross safety and receivers presumably being unable to hold onto Levis’ rocket throws.
Quinn acknowledged that, not like Levis, Pickett already has a 12 months beneath his belt as an NFL quarterback, which makes it more durable to check the 2. As famous above, Quinn additionally alluded to the truth that Pickett noticed marked enchancment as his rookie season progressed. After beginning the 12 months as Mitch Trubisky’s backup, Pickett ended the season with a 7-5 report because the Steelers’ starter.
Pickett’s capability to steer game-winning drives late within the season is one space the place he confirmed vital progress. But maybe what was simply as spectacular was Pickett’s capability to care for the ball down the stretch after struggling to take action early on. He threw only one interception throughout his remaining eight begins after throwing it to the opposite staff eight instances throughout his first 5 video games.
While Levis might develop into a superb professional, the Steelers most likely do not remorse their resolution to take Pickett with the twentieth general decide in final 12 months’s draft. It’ll be fascinating to see how Levis’ rookie season compares to what Pickett was capable of do final fall with the Steelers.
