NFL Draft: Will Levis says he is ‘ecstatic’ to go to Titans after going unpicked in first round

Tennessee Titans newcomer Will Levis says he was “ecstatic when he got the call” after making it through the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night and being picked at No. 33 on Friday.

Of course, Levis said this on a conference call after leaving Kansas City, where the Kentucky quarterback waited all Friday without hearing his name called.

Speaking to reporters via a Zoom call, Levis said where he was called won’t affect his work ethic. He had visited Tennessee and said he felt connected to everyone he met.

“I finished where I was supposed to be, and I’m just looking forward to competing and getting started,” said Levis.

Levis flew home on Friday and said he was eating after just walking through the door at home just as his name was called. Levis said he left Kansas City to make sure he got home in time for a big family gathering scheduled for Saturday, believing he would be drafted Thursday night in the first round.

TV cameras kept returning to Levis and his family over and over during the first round as they waited for the NFL’s big draft party in Kansas City.

Three quarterbacks were taken in the first four picks, then nothing until the Titans traded Friday night for the second pick of the second round.

“I was very proud of my family and how we held ourselves together last night and you know the cameras beaming down on us all the time,” Levis said. “I feel like we did the right thing by just going ahead and trusting that whatever happens, it will happen for a reason.”

The Titans have a quarterback in Ryan Tannehill, who turns 35 in July and has one year left on his contract with a $36.6 million salary cap.

Freshman general manager Ran Carthon started Friday night with the Titans holding the 41st pick overall in the second round and No. 72 in the third.

In Carthon’s first deal, the Titans flipped the selections with Arizona in the third round to 81 and will also send the Cardinals their third round pick in 2024.

The Titans have a QB in Ryan Tannehill, who turns 35 in July and is coming off an injury

This is the most the Titans have drafted at quarterback since bringing Marcus Mariota to No. 2 in the overall standings in 2015. In October 2019, he ended up on the bench for Tannehill.

Levis certainly fits the NFL prototype for a 6 foot 4 and 229 pound quarterback.

He went 17-7 at Kentucky, tied for the second most wins by a quarterback since 1993 at a college better known for basketball. Levis threw for 43 touchdown passes and ran for another 11. Levis threw for 5,233 yards and had six 300-yard passing games.

Levis said his toe feels good after suffering a “pain in the foot” in the second half of last season. He sat out Kentucky’s final game, a 21–0 loss to Iowa in the Music City Bowl.

“My feet are something that I think is one of the strengths of my game,” said Levis. “To not have that sucks. But I mean, that’s the nature of this game.’

Levis prepares to succeed at the NCAA college football team’s NFL Pro Day in Lexington, KY

This is the second straight the Titans have traded and drafted a quarterback. Former general manager Jon Robinson, fired in December, moved to bring Malik Willis from Liberty at No. 86 overall from Liberty in 2022.

Willis started three of eight games played and threw for just 276 yards with three interceptions and no touchdowns. He was benched for Joshua Dobbs, who was signed on December 21 to try to get Tennessee into the playoffs with Tannehill sidelined by an injured right ankle.

It did not work. The Titans, who used the most players in the NFL due to injuries for a second straight season, lost their last seven to miss out on a third consecutive AFC South title.

The Titans began their draft by taking on Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski at No. 11 on Thursday night as they continue to rebuild their offensive line after giving up 49 sacks last season. They entered this draft with only six selections and none in the fourth round.