The long wait for Kentucky quarterback Will Levis ended on Friday night as the Titans traded up to select the Wildcats quarterback with the 33rd pick in the draft.
The selection of Levis by the Titans was a bit of a surprise, given that Tennessee just spent a third-round pick on Liberty quarterback Malik Willis last year to backup starter Ryan Tannehill.
However, after Tannehill got hurt last season, Willis looked nowhere near ready to play, prompting Tennessee to go get Levis as a potential heir apparent starter to Tannehill, who enters his fifth year with the Titans this fall.
“Ryan will be the starting quarterback on Monday,” Vrabel told reporters after drafting Levis on Friday night. “Malik will be the backup. Will will be the third quarterback. And what I’ve told them is whatever happens after that will be up to the players. That’s what it’s always been here. That’s what we always want it to be. That’s our job is to bring in competition at every position. It’s not a secret. I hope that by now everybody understands that we have to prove our value to this football team each and every day.”
Tannehill has been a fine quarterback for Tennessee, but he hasn’t been able to push the Titans into serious Super Bowl contention. In 29 starts since 2021, the veteran has thrown 34 touchdowns to 20 interceptions. When he’s been out of the lineup though, the Titans proved to be extremely vulnerable on offense, which was a key reason to the 7–10 record last season, Vrabel’s worst season in his five years as coach.
Levis is ready for the challenge as he embarks on his NFL journey.
“Regardless of where I got picked, I feel like it’s not going to change my work ethic,” Levis said. “Regardless of if I went first overall or 33rd. You can’t let circumstances dictate your preparation, and the level of intensity you bring to your everyday practice. Definitely a little bit of a chip, but just know that I was going to work hard regardless of where I got picked. … I ended up where I was meant to be and I am just looking forward to competing and getting started.”
