Quite certain they said the same about Purdy. I came away impressed with Tune. Not that I want the Texans to get him.
Stroud is a guy that is represented by a bunch of enablers. Tell me more about his posse and I will tell you more about him. BTW, who didn't expect Stroud to throw well, there was no rush. He only struggles under pressure which is a big issue.
They aren't bad issues and are easily fixable. This isn't like having Carr throw over and around broomstick issues.
Spoiler https://theathletic.com/4345138/2023/03/24/colts-will-levis-nfl-draft-2/ […] He stands 6-foot-4, weighs 230 pounds, can fire the football all over the field and is a willing and capable runner, never shying away from contact if it means a first down (or more). He’s respected by teammates, lauded for his work ethic and was voted captain. He looks the part, no doubt. But there are credible concerns after Levis’ two up-and-down seasons in Lexington, 24 starts that speak to his undeniable ability to make pro-level throws in a pro-style offense while simultaneously offering very clear warning signs as to what is making him such a polarizing prospect ahead of next month’s draft. Levis, at this point, feels like a gamble, a referendum like so many of the strong-armed quarterbacks that have come before him in recent years, the ones who can throw it a country mile but lack some of the polish and pocket awareness that NFL decision-makers crave — and that wins games. His pro day Friday afternoon on Kentucky’s campus was a window into that very debate, the same one QB-needy teams like the Indianapolis Colts will have inside their war rooms in the coming weeks. Levis can launch it, no doubt: Across roughly 50 throws, he showcased the arm talent that is central to why he’s being projected to go so high in this spring’s draft. Levis’ release is fluid, and the ball flies out of his right hand, often on a straight line. Rarely — if ever — does one of his throws sail. Velocity’s not a problem. But compared with C.J. Stroud’s throwing session at Ohio State two days prior, Levis wasn’t as sharp, wasn’t as accurate. For the most part, Stroud’s balls were consistently more catchable. At one point Friday, Levis put way too much heat on a short throw to a running back over the middle, a layup that an NFL starter should never miss. His tosses to the sideline weren’t as precise as Stroud’s, either, and he overthrew and underthrew his receivers a few times on deep shots. At times, Levis had incredible touch. At others, he simply didn’t. But when Levis hits one, it’s beautiful to watch, a tight spiral that’s hard to defend. It’s also important to note that Stroud was throwing to a much more talented group of Buckeyes receivers that included Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr. Levis’ targets dropped several throws that were right on the money. He finished with roughly 10 incompletions, about half of which were dropped. Quarterbacks are expected to complete roughly 90 percent of their throws in these types of workouts, and the Colts, like most teams, put far more stock in actual game film. […] Levis has spent the past two months tightening up his mechanics with throwing coach Jordan Palmer, who ran Friday’s workout, calling out plays before the snap, which forced Levis to react in real time. A lot of their focus has been on his footwork, which routinely got sloppy at Kentucky, leading to off-platform, arm-heavy throws, scrambles into defensive pressure and far too many mistakes. That’s what can get a big arm like Levis’ in trouble: He sometimes can trust it too much. As a college quarterback, his timing wasn’t always sharp, and he’d routinely bail from the pocket too quickly, leaning on his obvious athleticism instead of trusting his fundamentals. His accuracy was inconsistent, and perhaps the biggest flaw the film revealed was a lack of a consistent feel from inside the pocket, that hard-to-define ability to sense pressure and get the ball out just before it arrives. Some QBs have it. Some don’t. Levis has yet to prove he does. After his throwing session Friday, he referred to it as “efficient movements.” The aim: stay patient, stay home and stop playing off-script. NFL teams love a quarterback’s ability to create when a play breaks down, but more often than not, they still have to win from inside the pocket with their arm. Both Colts general manager Chris Ballard and new coach Shane Steichen have emphasized this in their evaluations. The scrambling ability is nice, but, as Steichen said, “When it’s third-and-8, you’ve gotta be able to stand in the pocket and deliver a strike with a guy barreling down your chest.” That’s what Levis has to convince teams he can do. “I think I’ve got as talented an arm as anybody, and even when I don’t have efficient movements and am off-base a little bit, I can still pull off (the throw) as strong as my arm is,” Levis said. “But being able to move to a position as efficiently as possible to get my feet in the right spots and be consistent and efficient in my delivery has been the biggest part (we’re working on).” But can that really be taught? That feel, that innate ability to sense pressure before it smacks you in the face? Or is that largely instinctual? “I don’t know if it can be taught, but I do know it’s felt,” said Coen, who’s back as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator after a one-year stint as the Rams’ OC. “But if you’ve only been feeling it a couple of times, your muscle memory hasn’t quite evolved and hasn’t quite become consistent. That’s where you see his feet get out of whack a couple of times, and hurried, and into pressure, things like that.” This is where Coen points to Levis’ winding college career: four different offensive coordinators between his time at Penn State and Kentucky, and just two seasons as a full-time starter. Time on task, he said, will be his greatest teacher. “I do think you can improve that with day-in, day-out 11-on-11 reps,” the coach stressed. […] Asked to pitch himself to teams after his workout Friday, Levis didn’t hesitate. “I’m ready to play Day 1,” he said, adding that “to be able to be a part of that climb upwards towards the top is really, really cool to me.” Coen’s perspective is a unique one: His relationship with Levis goes back to when he was in high school, when the coach tried (and failed) to recruit him to the University of Massachusetts. They reunited in Lexington for one season — Levis’ best in college — before Coen left for the Rams. He stood on the sideline Friday, watching Levis audition for dozens and dozens of NFL coaches, general managers and scouts. “I do believe he’ll actually come into a pro atmosphere and pro organization and blossom even more than he did here,” Coen said. “He’s a mature kid. He’s mature beyond 23 years old. He actually identifies with myself more than a 17-year-old freshman that he might not know that well. When you go to an NFL building, his work ethic, practice habits, his studying, automatically will earn respect. “You don’t need to be out at a bar or playing video games with your receivers in the NFL. Those are things you have to do (in college) at times. You just have to have a really good working relationship and you have to have their respect.” Coen knows the quarterback debate brimming at the top of this year’s draft, and where Levis fits in. He knows most evaluators have Young and Stroud ahead of Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson. “All four of these guys they’re talking about have something wrong, right?” Coen said. “They have a wart, every single one. Otherwise, there would be a clear-cut No. 1.” There’s not, and that’s what will make the next month so fascinating, for the Colts and every other team searching for its next franchise quarterback. “You just have to decide what wart … that’s not the right word … but what’s worth working with? “The way I look at Will is: The negative can be a positive. There’s been glimpses of greatness … if you’re really talking about maximizing a player’s ability and trying to pour into somebody to get greatness? I’m taking the putty and I’m trying to see what I can do with it.” Because Levis, in Coen’s mind, checks all the other boxes. High character. Elite arm. Relentless worker. A will to improve and a love for the game that never seems quenched. That foundation, the coach said, is far better than the alternative. “The thing about Will is you never have to do this,” Coen said, lifting his hands up from the ground. “You’re never going to have to tell him, ‘We need more.’ “Now, sometimes, you might have to do this,” he continued, this time slowly pushing his hands toward the ground. In other words: Sometimes, you have to tell him to slow down, to ease up. “But what would you rather have?” the coach added. “I know which one I’d take.”
https://thespun.com/more/top-stories/look-will-levis-quietly-met-with-1-nfl-team "Per the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport: From the teams that went to dinner with him, the Carolina Panthers, the Las Vegas Raiders spent time with him, Mike Vrabel from the Tennessee Titans spent time with him. [Levis] actually pretty quietly had a top-30 visit with the Houston Texans; that happened over the last several weeks. Applaud Cas for keeping his draft strategy on the down low. I wouldn't be surprised if we take Levis with #2 or trade back a few spots. This would likely create a lot of controversy amongst the media and fans, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and his warts may be easier to shave off than his 3 competitors. This will certainly be a fun and exciting draft for us. Great to have two early firsts and so many more picks.
Trading back is problematic for the Texans unless they are not enamored with any of the QB’s slated for the first round. If they trade back to 4 with the Colts and Arizona trades back with another QB hungry team (Raiders, Atlanta, etc) then the only QB would probably be Richardson. If they are ok with that then they should absolutely try to get a trade out of the Colts. If they don’t care about taking a QB in the first or have a low first grade on Hooker, then they should look to trade back later in the first for more return. Atlanta would be a good trade partner in my opinion. I personally think the Texans are happy with Stroud or Young, but they have been extremely close to the vest. It is quite possible they want only 1 of the 2 top Qb’s and that if Carolina takes their choice they pull a draft day trade down from 2.
My life's work has been looking at various scenarios and determining the possibilities and probabilities of outcomes. With that as a backdrop, I'm not sure how you can make that statement unless you're part of the Texans Football Operations Staff or a close friend of someone in the upper tier of their leadership. The media hypes players and naturally fans get excited by the hype. When I listen to the media, I look for what they're not saying and how they phrase or shape what they are putting out. I've not been a fan of taking a QB at #2, because all of the QBs have questions and I'd rather go BPA. I wanted one of Carter or Anderson, now its Will A or trade back. My rationale is I don't love any of these QBs. If I had to take one at #2, because the owner is putting pressure on me to turn the fan base around it would likely be Levis. Levis has classic size, top tierKentucky is not known for great QBs, but they have had a #1 overall pick (Tim Couch), Babe Parilli (18 seasons) and George Blanda (HOFer who led Oilers to titles in 1960/61). I love BY for everything that has been discussed and he reminds me a bit of my childhood favorite QB (Fran Tarkenton), but I personally couldn't invest a Top 5 Pick in him because he's tiny and the probabilities are against his success. I'm obviously in the minority here and that's ok with me. Couldn't find a more recent article (2022), but AL has had some great NFL QBs like Namath and Stabler (one of my favs). As a school they've produced more NFL winning QBs versus OSU... https://fanbuzz.com/college-football/sec/best-alabama-quarterbacks/ No doubt Bryce will be up there when a new article comes out. Stroud throws the prettiest spiral I've seen, watching his pinpoint throws are amazing, but he had an advantage above all of the other QBs with the caliber of WR and OL he enjoyed. Much easier to complete passes when your WRs are getting yards of separation and you have a clean pocket the majority of the time. I understand him hiring the agent he did and can even see why he chose Vick and Watson as role models, but the latter also tells me he's tone deaf to the sensitivities surrounding those players. I wish him the best, but don't want him on the Texans. FYI, I think a quick review top OSU QBs of 21st Century is also worthwhile... https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...ate-s-top-10-quarterbacks-of-the-21st-century My second choice at QB would be AR. He's raw as hell, but if you can bring him along slowly and mold that clay he could be awesome. I like his personna the best of the QBs as well, I think nothing is to big for him, and giving him some packages to run in year 1 would allow him to get his feet wet. He would be a huge risk at #2, but at #12, I think that's a value judgement you can make. U of FL hasn't been QB powerhouse, but some interesting names... https://fanbuzz.com/college-football/sec/ranking-uf-starting-qbs/ The media has been hyping BY and Stroud since last year. They're from big schools that always compete for the big money conferences and bowl games. Personally, I don't care if your black, white or green--I want a leader, that has the skills, attitude and love for the game. I also love a big arm, someone who can make plays with their legs, and get that first down on 4th and inches. Levis and AR have those skills and traits, they also have not been super successful college QBs. But my point is super successful college QBs aren't necessarily the best NFL QBs. We signed the all-time NCAA passing leader this offseason and when you look from 2000-2022 at the top college QBs in Passing Efficiency it's interesting... https://www.sports-reference.com/cf...2comp=gt&c3comp=gt&c4comp=gt&order_by=pass_td Tua was a more successful college QB than Herbert, but likely the best NFL career will be had by Justin. A lot of success depends on where you land, who your coach is, how good our your teammates, etc. When the experts were comparing them prior to the draft, a lot of what they're saying about BY is what they said about Tua and Herbert's weaknesses are comparable to Levis... https://nesn.com/2020/04/tua-tagovailoa-vs-justin-herbert-which-qb-will-have-better-nfl-career/ NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah believes the gap between Tagovailoa and Herbert has to do with the Alabama quarterback’s instincts compared to Herbert’s. “With Tua and Herbert, I think there is a gap between them,” Jeremiah said last week during a conference call, as transcribed by Sports Illustrated’s Jason Hirschhorn. “I think Tua is a more instinctive natural player. He’s got better instincts. He’s just got a better feel. I think he’s got better touch and accuracy.” I'm not saying the above is a perfect example of where we are this year. Instead I'm using it to highlight that media/fans can drive movements like "Tank for Tua" that can shape our pre-draft thinking, but may be faulty. Sorry, for the length folks--I started on this yesterday and got pulled away and tried to finish today, but damn work gets in the way.
The media fails to mention Levis won 10 games at Kentucky of all places in 2021 with better talent around him. When's the last time Kentucky's won 10 games in a season? Herbert/Allen had alot of the same knocks against them. Take into account that last year Levis played injured and the turf toe is an injury that hurt a QB's accuracy/movement skills.
