NFL Combine: Kentucky QB Will Levis Q&A
The cannon arm of Kentucky signal-caller Will Levis was on full display at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, here’s his exchange with the national media from the podium.
The gathered Combine media spoke with Kentucky quarterback Will Levis about his college career, his transition to the NFL, and what he brings to the table as a prospect. Levis spoke about his meeting with the Carolina Panthers and Frank Reich, the importance of the Kentucky offense in his transition to the NFL, and his focus on perfecting his movement leading up to throws.
He also discussed his strong arm talent, values, and what he brings to an NFL team in the short and long term. Levis believes that he can bring a championship team to an NFL franchise and is confident in his ability to assimilate himself into the league. Overall, Levis is a promising quarterback prospect who is ready to take his game to the next level in the NFL.
How was your meeting with the Carolina Panthers and Frank Reich?
Yeah, it's fun. Josh McCown was in there too, so they kind of had him explain the offense and then have me relay it back to them. I think it's great for them to kind of figure out my knowledge and then also learn whatever I can from them as well.
How do you think the Kentucky offense will help with your transition to the NFL?
Yeah I think that our terminology crosses over with a lot of different teams in the league. So when they're asking about the plays that we run and we're watching tape and I'm running through what our footwork or what our language that we used was, it was kind of cool when they can kind of realize right away that it's the same or very similar to what they do.
Do you think that you’re a Super Bowl caliber quarterback?
Yeah, my goal is to win more than anybody. I want to be the greatest of all time. I think you're crazy if you don't think that way.
How would you describe your college career?
I think this past year, the season didn't go as well as we would have wanted it to. But I learned a lot from it. Learned how to kind of battle through adversity and dealt with a lot of things physically, situationally that was tough. But just became a better player, better quarterback because of it. I mean, I'm going to show what I'm about once I get to that next level and do my best to show that to these coaches throughout this week.
What was it like playing in the Big Ten versus the SEC?
They're great. People always try to tell me to put one above the other, but I mean, it's tough. It's been such a privilege to play in such two great conferences. And when I did make the transition from Penn State, I wanted to make sure I was going against high-level competition, like I was in the Big Ten. Playing in the SEC was important to me. Shoot, I've seen a lot of great players across a lot of great teams, going back to the Big Ten. My first real game experience was against Ohio State and Chase Young gave me a tough time. So that goes back a little bit but great players across the board. It's hard to put one in front of the other.
Heard you watch a lot of Joe Burrow?
Joe is someone, especially in this offseason, that I focused a lot on. I think this offseason, compared to offseasons in the past, I've really tried to perfect the movement leading up to the throw. I think that when I make some inaccurate passes, it's due to how I'm initiating the movement leading into it. A lot of times I could get away with it because of how talented of an arm I have. Joe, I think, does better than anyone else in terms of movement in the pocket. Not the fastest guy, but just able to move so efficiently to put himself in a stable base to make efficient throws. Been watching a lot of film on him this offseason.
What part of your game have you been working on leading up to the combine?
Not necessarily anything with the upper body, but everything from the waist down. How I'm initiating movement, where I'm using force and which muscles I'm using. I'm a pretty built guy but I kind of realized just as I started my offseason training, how kind of weak I was in my abductor and lower core areas. So being able to engage those and push through those areas and use my feet in ways that are going to put me in advantageous situations to get a good platform and get the ball off efficiently without really having to worry that much about the upper half has been interesting.
What has been the focus during your offseason workouts?
Just my recovery. I mean, coming off a couple tough injuries this past season. Really spent the first handful of weeks doing treatment. The foot, the shoulder. Finally hit a spot as of three, four weeks ago feeling really, really good about my body. Confident that I can go and use my athleticism to my advantage, kind of like I wasn't able to in the second half of the season, especially.
What separates you from other quarterbacks in this year’s draft class?
I think physically, I just have my arm talent. I think I've got one of the stronger arms to come out of any draft class in recent memory. And then just who I am as a person - my morals, my values. I think that's been the most beneficial thing to be able to share with these coaches throughout these formal and informal interviews to just get to know me as a person and get them to understand how seriously I take every aspect of my life and how much I love ball. And how I'm able to use those values and morals to make me the best person in the locker room and on the field as possible."
Why did you choose to throw at the combine?
Because I got a cannon and I want to show it off.
What does it mean for offensive coordinator Liam Coen to return to Kentucky?
It's great. It's great for the guys. I know that Coach (Mark) Stoops is really happy about it. I know he's going to make the best decision for the program. But I mean, (Coen) loves it there. I know he's excited to be back. And I know that Devin (Leary) and all the other guys are going to be able to learn a lot from them and we're going to take a big step going forward.
What can you bring to an NFL team in the short term, versus the upside in the long term?
I think right now I can bring them a championship team. That's the confidence I have. I think I'm able to assimilate myself very, very well, I believe. That's the confidence I have due to my experience and due to my physical tools. I think that I'm immediately able to be plugged into any offense, learn it well, and become a leader very quickly for whatever team I play for. But obviously, the goal is to progress. I want to get better every year. I'm not expecting myself to be the best quarterback in the league right off the bat. That's just what development is all about. That's what I'm going to lean on the coaches and the staff and the players around me to help get to that level.
What did you learn about your time at Penn State?
I learned a lot. I learned that sometimes things don't go your way and you just gotta put your head down and keep working. The things that I stand for, and the mantra I always live my life by is: never give up. That whole time I was there, I never gave up. I walked in that building every day, prepared as if I was the starter, tried to show the coaches and my teammates that I had the capabilities to do that. When I made the decision to transfer, I kind of felt like I was going against that mantra. But at the same time, I realized I wasn't giving up. I was going to stick to whatever was best for me. And I was going to take my shot and go play my cards somewhere else. Learned a lot, nothing but love for all the coaches and all the players at Penn State. And wouldn't trade that time for anything.
What kind of character will you bring to an NFL locker room?
I think my leadership style would definitely be that, which is just lead by example. I kind of liken it to how I first got to Kentucky. I wasn't the starter right away. I didn't step in and start being that kind of 'rah-rah' guy and just started to boss people around. What you do is you put your head down and earn the respect of others through your work. That's what I'm going to plan on doing. It's kind of just a feel process. Once you know that you've gained the trust of the coaches or players, or once you're named the starter or whatever, that's when you can kind of start transitioning into more of a vocal leadership role, being able to understand and step in and talk to guys individually when you think that it's necessary. That kind of process is just gradual but you gotta feel it out. So my ability to feel out of that situation, understanding that dudes need to be led in different ways, and I think just my character. My respect. My ability to talk to anybody with the highest level of respect and be able to put myself in their shoes and understand and learn from there. I think that's what's great about being a leader. You're bettering yourself by bettering others, because you're bringing them along and learning more about yourself at the same time.
Do you want to be the first quarterback chosen in the draft?
I don't focus on things I can't control. I want to be selected as high as possible, but at the end of the day, I just want a team that believes in me. Got to make somebody fall in love with me. That's all it takes.
Did you have any outside the box interviews at the combine?
No, I think the only thing I could think of (is) Minnesota had a football. So they just had you have a football in your hands, which is nice, because I like having something to play around with. I don't know if it's something where they wanted to see how big my hands were. No basketball hoops, but I would have enjoyed that.
