My biggest problem with Levis is he hasn’t proven he could do it under the pressure of the biggest games.
Not that it matters, but my friend who lives in Lexington and goes to all UK games has already apologized to me if the Texans draft him.
Richardson has a bigger arm than Levis. Neither is ready to start in the NFL. They are not in the same class as Young and Stroud.
Possible to get lucky but how many 6th or 7th round picks at QB are successfully starting in the NFL?
Everyone has an opinion so mine is no more valid than anyone else’s but if the Texans don’t get Young and take Levis instead of Anderson they are making a mistake. In Anderson, you potentially have a second coming of JJ Watt.
JJ? JJ could lineup anywhere in the line. Will Anderson is not lining up over the center. He’s more of a Von Miller. Seen someone compare him to Derrick Thomas.
McShay: “Going back to the semifinals, I was so impressed with CJ Stroud. The thing I’ve been looking for and every scout I’ve talked has been looking for is use the mobility you have. Use your feet as a weapon. He didn’t do it for the majority of the last 2 years but did in that game against Georgia. The success he had against Georgia resonated with NFL scouts. It showed a different side from him. That’s only gonna help him.” Kiper: Bryce Young, the great processor, accuracy throwing the football, that magical way he goes about his business as that true PG, drawing comparisons to Steph Curry. We talk about outliers (Wilson/Murray), we’re not worrying about 5’11. We’re worrying about 180lbs/185lbs, can he hold up physically in the NFL? Will Levis was banged up just about all year. OL was horrific. RB wasn’t there the first 4 games. WR core lost WanDale Robinson. I think this is what’s gonna happen: the old guard is Will Levis. I’m Will Levis. The analytics, the young guys will be on Bryce Young. I’m gonna wait. I’m waiting this out. Pro Days I’ve always said are a waste of time. I think Bryce’s Pro Day will be important to see what he looks like throwing the football. 5’11, 180lbs, that’s something everyone will have to factor in because we’ve never had a QB this size being talked about as potentially the number one pick. McShay: I was in Tuscaloosa in October for the game against Mississippi State. He said he’s up to 196 and plans to be over 200 by the Pro Day and Combine. He’s a slender frame guy, I get it. If you’re gonna talk about a negative with Young, it’s his size. Can he hold up in the NFL? I get that but this dude is special. He’s so different than any other QB I’ve seen. Will Levis, from his character, his toughness, his sturdy build, his mobility, his arm strength, he has everything you look for as an old guard evaluator. As a new guard evaluator, I see Tua (think he meant Bryce?) as the next generation type of guy. He loves the game. He has such passion for it. He’s such a great teammate. He’s intelligent. He processes quickly. The important thing with his game is the ability to feel pressure and know where it comes from and just deal with it. Steph Curry is prefect. I was in the Gameday bus with Kirk Herbstreit and we were talking about he is Steph Curry of college football and will be in the NFL. Throw out the measurables. He’ll find way to avoid contact and always be able to create and make that play that most QBs can’t. That’s why I have Bryce Young number one, Levis number three, Stroud number two and Richardson, the most talented of the group but least prepared of all, at number four. Pros/Cons of this QB class? Start with Levis. Reasons you should love Levis and causes for concern? Kiper: Physically, you can draw up a NFL QB. He’s that guy. The size, stature, arm, the way he spins it, can make every throw, the toughness, ability to beat you with his legs, the fact he dealt with adversity. It wasn’t easy with Kentucky. It wasn’t pitch and catch. He didn’t have the elite OL this year. He had it as a junior. 2023 OL was terrible. No WanDale Robinson. No Chris Rodriguez the first 4 games. And he was beat up. How he got on the field, I don’t know. How he finished the year, I don’t know. He was another coach. This guy is passionate about the game. He loves the game. Now you talk turnovers. We heard that about other QBs along the way. Once in the NFL, they’ll turn it over. You gotta try to make a play. Your Kentucky. You’re trying to make plays. Bottom line, you gotta get your team down the field and get touchdowns. The thing that impressed me, there was one play against Mississippi State, pick six. Next drive, Levis comes right out, Ernie Accorsi always said great QBs have a short memory. How did he react? Seconds later, right down the field. Great QBs have that element. Will Levis had that. I think it’s he or Bryce Young for me. I have not made that final call. What will Bryce be when the season begins and can he maintain that weight? And the arm strength. He doesn’t have that howitzer. He doesn’t have the tremendous, explosive speed but he does have everything else. Bryce Young & Will Levis are battling it out to be the first pick in the draft. McShay: With Levis, the one thing that concerns me, he plays QB like a LB. The one thing is does he see the whole field? There are a lot of plays on tape where you see his head dip down when pressure is coming. It’s great to have mobility, you need it in today’s NFL but if you’re not feeling pressure and you’re not comfortable sliding if pressure is coming from the inside or climbing when the pressure is coming from the outside, the mobility gets erased a little bit. That concerns me. Every scout I’ve talked to on the road, I did 2 games live with him, every scout is saying does he see it? Does he see the whole field? I don’t want to make it a thing where I don’t like Levis. I love him. Has the character, toughness, wants to be in every play, every game. I talked to one GM who said I see a lot of Josh Allen in him. 5 days later, I talk to another GM who said I’m worried we’re getting Carson Wentz. The turnovers because he doesn’t see the whole field and because he plays QB like a LB, will he stay healthy? Anthony Richardson is the most polarizing QB in this class but the 2nd most polarizing player is Will Levis.
Let’s get to your #2 QB, CJ Stroud. Pros and cons of his game? McShay: He layers the ball perfectly. Yes, he’s had first round draft picks at WR and benefits from guys around him who will play at a high level in the NFL. The way he throws the ball from inside the pocket — short, intermediate, deep — it doesn’t matter. The touch, the timing, the ball placement, it’s exactly what you want to see. If you put together a highlight reel of his best 10 passes, it’s better than any other QB in this class. The knock on him is why isn’t he using his mobility? When pressure comes, there’s a panic. But then against Georgia, it’s like someone got in his ear. Use your legs. He accepted the challenge. That tape will be huge for Stroud. I talked to guys in the league all season long, on the road, going to games, talking to scouts, talking to GMs, everyone said the same thing, he has to create like Bryce Young creates. He didn’t but did against the best team in Georgia. That changes the narrative a little bit. He can do it and if we can push him to be creative, innovative and mobile, we have a special talent here. I personally think it’s Young, Stroud and then you get into Levis and Richardson after that. Kiper: Stroud, the Georgia game, I wouldn’t say made him a lot of money but it defined him as one of the elite QBs. … For me, Stroud put himself in discussion with Young and Levis. We’re acting like Levis is being pushed down, he’s not. There is mixed opinion on Levis. It’s not who you are, it’s who you’ll be. We can see who looks good, who’s struggling on Saturday. It’s not who you are in college. It’s who you project to be in the NFL. … Some were surprised he declared. How would you describe what Anthony Richardson brings to the table, for better and worse right now? Kiper: This was a crazy ride. I think back to that September 3rd Utah game. Utah is a FG favorite at The Swamp. He goes out there and single handily led the Gators to that upset. He was incredible. Everything he did turned to gold. He was on fire from the start to finish against Utah, a really good, well coached football team. You think “I think he has a chance to be the first overall pick.” Next week, playing Kentucky and you think “OK, he’ll build on that.” I think he was at 40%. Interceptions. Didn’t do anything with his legs. He went from this A+ QB to now we see this will be polarizing, this will be frustrating. You see the talent, ability to run, big time arm strength but also see layups he’s missing. Bouncing throws. Not on target. Coaching will be critical. You’d like to see him back for another year. The hope is he goes to a team that can let him sit for a little bit. He won’t be ready. This is a QB that needs time, a year or 2 years. It’ll take some time. Talent is in abundance but needs work on being accurate, seeing the field, making good decisions. You’d love to see another year at Florida but that won’t happen. McShay: On Gameday, the discussion was maybe he’s the Heisman, maybe he’s the number one pick. I chose to go down to Kentucky/Florida. I saw a Mike Stoops defense that had a great game plan, they didn’t allow him to run. If you’re gonna beat us, beat us in the pocket and we’ll give you a ton of different looks. 6’4, 220+, howitzer for an arm, the best runner in this draft class and immediately in the NFL will be one of the top 5 mobile QBs. What’s wrong? He has the intelligence but he hasn’t translated it yet. He hasn’t figured it all out. When I talk to more people at Florida, here’s what I keep getting: does he have the dog in him? Is he a guy who will say not on my watch, not today? I’m carrying this team, it’s over, we’re gonna win this game. They haven’t seen that from him. He’ll have to mature in the NFL. What it takes preparation wise, toughness wise, the ability to drown everything else out and be the guy when your team needs it. I’ve talked to some teams. One team has him at #3 ahead of Levis. Another team has a 2nd/3rd round grade. He is the most polarizing player in this entire draft class. Great young man. As I said, so intelligent. I think he’ll figure it out but definitely needs some time. What team is capable of using a late first on him? Are there that many teams that can afford to do so? It becomes a stain on your resume. Can you take a first round pick on a QB when he might need 2 years? McShay: Absolutely. The upside is you’re getting a Josh Allen type. I want to gamble but I need to gamble if I know in my organization I have a good QB coach and offensive coordinator that can develop. Like Daboll with the Giants. Maybe it’s not this year or next year, maybe it’s 2025 before he sees the field but if we develop him properly, we could be the Bills. If you’re picking late in the first, yeah, a DE or CB or WR would be great but when looking at the future of the organization, I would absolutely use a late first if I thought I had the people in place to develop him properly.
https://theathletic.com/4104437/2023/01/19/nfl-draft-2023-mock-draft-roundtable/ 2. Let’s talk about the Texans’ options at No. 2. In this scenario, the Colts leapfrogged them for Young, so they took Will Levis. Are there any other options for Houston here (aside from swapping out Levis for Stroud)? Should that front office be considering a move from 2 to 1? Baumgardner: This might not be the most popular option, but it’s something I’ll keep bringing up until the Texans do something else: Davis Mills is good enough to hold down the fort while this team grows, at least for another year. Houston has so many draft picks, but this franchise is starting over (again). The odds that Houston is back in the top 10 next year, too? Pretty good. Who says the Texans can’t trade this pick and make a run at next year’s QB crop? What if the Texans go a step further and acquire a veteran, bridge quarterback, then use their assets to make sure they have enough to go get the top QB in 2024? Houston doesn’t have to take Levis (or Stroud) with the second pick if it doesn’t love him. Lee: There’s no need for Houston to trade up, short of the personnel department falling in love with a prospect or the franchise pursuing a head coach who demands a QB be selected as a condition of his employment. Turning over this roster probably will be at least a two-season process, the Texans already have a cheap quarterback in tow, and chances are they’ll be in a position to swing for someone like Drake Maye or Caleb Williams next April. That’s a comfortable consolation prize should the Texans decide to get another premium position player in the draft, like Will Anderson Jr. I’m with Nick on that alternate plan: try to compete with Chicago’s leverage at No. 1 by putting the No. 2 pick up for sale. The last time the top two picks were on the block was 2016, and Cleveland (at No. 2) received two firsts and a second-, third- and fourth-rounder from Philadelphia. If I were running the Texans, I would float all kinds of misdirection through the media to drive up the price and get a haul. Tice: The Texans, much like the Bears, desperately need tangible players on their roster — not just stars and building blocks but true starter-quality players. Unless they truly love one of their quarterbacks, they’ll likely do whatever they can to add a top-tier player or move back and take a swing at the quarterbacks in 2024. Houston will have another new coach in 2023, so straightening out its team situation first and then dropping in a rookie quarterback would be more conducive to the rebuilding process.
As much as I would hate to go through another Texans season without a QB with true face-of-the-franchise potential, it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to either move out of the number 2 spot for a haul of picks, or just use the 2 and 12 pick to keep building the foundation, and then go get a QB next year. Not sure a new HC, especially an offensive minded one, will want to go into their first year without a legit QB, and I'm sure the fanbase would damn near revolt if we had to watch Mills for another season. But maybe bring in Jimmy G, trade out of number 2 and acquire another first round pick next year, still have 2 firsts this year, then use your 3 firsts next year to get your guy no matter if that's Williams or Maye. I still prefer to just go get your QB this draft, but obviously if the front office determines that no QB this class is worth the pick at number 2, then I don't think it's the worst thing in the world.
This is why I hope Caserio trades out of 1-2 and loads up on picks in the 2024 draft. Get the QB and even more talented players in the 2024 draft. Trade down this yr and pick Tyree Wilson at 1-7 and get pick #37, plus an extra 2024 1st. This wouldn't be sexy but build a solid foundation. 1-7 Wilson 1-12 Hyatt 2-32 Ika 2-37 Achane 3-50 Best S available I like Branch and Skinner after trading 4-103 and Cooks 3-65 Avila 3-75 Musgrve or Kincad Sign Jimmy G to a 3 yr deal and have three 1st rd picks to go get your QB in the 2024 loaded draft. Also sign a vet FA Center and LB in FA.
I think if you can get Bryce Young this year, you do it. Then next year you try and get Marvin Harrison Jr. The dude looks like a future HOFer.
What if the teams at the top all need QBs and/or simply don't want to trade? I'll never understand this strategy. This isn't Madden.
