For all the hoopla over the quarterbacks who did go in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, almost as much attention was given to a quarterback who did not.
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis—mentioned for much of the pre-draft process in the same breath as Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson—was not selected in the first round. His omission was a stark departure from rumors that placed the Wildcats gunslinger as high as the top five.
Throughout the evening, ESPN displayed footage of Levis in the green room as 31 picks came and went without him being selected.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) April 28, 2023
The slide stirred memories of past quarterback free falls, including the dives taken by California's Aaron Rodgers in 2005, Louisville's Lamar Jackson in 2018, and Missouri's Drew Lock in 2019.
Things eventually worked out for Rodgers and Jackson, both of whom went on to win NFL MVP awards. Levis’s destination, however, is yet to be determined as the draft proceedings in Kansas City enter their second day.
