Could Will Levis Be the Minnesota Vikings' Quarterback of the Future?

Sooner or later, the Vikings need to figure out their plan for life after Kirk Cousins at football's most important position. Reports this month have indicated that the team is likely to let Cousins play out the final year of his deal in 2023 in lieu of offering him another extension, which means they could look for his successor as soon as this year.

Selecting a quarterback in April's draft, on paper, could make plenty of sense for the Vikings. That player would come in, develop as Cousins' backup for a year, and then take the reins in 2024. It wouldn't be a pick that would provide immediate benefits for this season's outlook, but the Vikings' biggest priority is building a sustainable contender. No single move could have more of an impact in that regard than hitting on a first-round quarterback pick.

Here's the issue: The Vikings, as a result of winning 13 games last season, hold the No. 23 overall pick. There's a consensus group of four top quarterbacks in this year's draft and enough QB-needy teams that it seems highly unlikely any of the four make it to Minnesota's selection. But if there's one with a chance to fall — even if it's not all the way to 23, but at least far enough for the Vikings to conceivably trade up — it feels like that player is Kentucky's Will Levis.

C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, and Anthony Richardson all seem destined to be gone in the top five picks, with Richardson rising during this pre-draft cycle to join Stroud and Young in that very top tier. Levis could be taken not long after that group, or perhaps even before one of them. Until the draft happens, no one knows for sure. But he's enough of a project — and not quite the same caliber of athlete as Richardson, the other project in the top four — that the idea of Levis sliding out of the top ten picks, and maybe further, isn't ridiculous.

The Vikings met with Levis in person at the NFL combine, and there's been buzz that head coach Kevin O'Connell is a fan of his. O'Connell presumably has the inside scoop on Levis, as fellow former Rams assistant coach Liam Coen was Kentucky's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2021. O'Connell and Coen worked together on Sean McVay's staff in 2020. Levis, in some ways, shares traits with the two quarterbacks O'Connell has most recently coached: Matthew Stafford and Cousins. Those are optimistic comparisons for Levis, who has a high ceiling and a fairly low floor at this stage of his development.

If Levis falls all the way to 23, the value might be too good for the Vikings to pass up. That's what happened in a recent mock draft from NFL.com's Charles Davis.

Finally! Teams picking as high as No. 4 overall will likely consider the big-armed passer from Kentucky, but he lands with QB-friendly coach Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota as the franchise's signal-caller for the future.

That seems unlikely, considering the demand for quarterbacks and Levis's intriguing physical tools. If the Vikings' front office and coaching staff truly believes he can become a star, they could make a move to go up and get their guy. They don't have a second-round pick this year, but they can still make it work. In The Athletic's recent beat writer mock draft, Vikings writer Alec Lewis traded Minnesota's third-rounder and their 2024 first-rounder to the Raiders to move up from 23 to 7 and select Levis.

Though it might be tempting to save key 2024 draft capital, especially with the potential QBs in next year’s NFL Draft, the Vikings could benefit from adding a QB now. A season to learn head coach Kevin O’Connell’s system would be a boon. So would the opportunity to sit behind Cousins. Leaping to No. 7 would take some heavy lifting, but the time comes for every team to shoot its shot.

I think it may take more than that to go all the way up to No. 7 overall, but tossing in an additional 2023 or 2024 pick would be a small price to pay if the Vikings are sold on Levis. There's also the possibility that they wouldn't have to move up quite that high if Levis starts to fall.

So what kind of prospect is Levis? Simply put, he has all of the physical tools to become a top-tier quarterback in the NFL, but it's going to take a good deal of development for him to get there. Levis is 6'4", weighs 230 pounds, and has a rocket of a right arm. His quick release and powerful arm allows him to throw lasers into tight windows and fire the ball 60 yards downfield in a way that almost looks effortless at times. He's also a plus athlete who ran for 17 touchdowns in his college career. The size, toughness, mobility, and arm strength are all there. Levis played in a pro-style system at Kentucky, which is another thing working in his favor, especially when compared to someone like Tennessee's Hendon Hooker.

Despite all of his strengths, there are several reasons why Levis is a polarizing prospect who some teams may not like. He began his college career at Penn State, transferring to Kentucky after two years when he failed to beat out Sean Clifford for the Nittany Lions' starting job. In his two years at Kentucky, Levis had 54 total touchdowns (43 passing, 11 rushing) but also threw 23 interceptions and lost four fumbles.

Levis has a clean throwing motion, but the consistency of his lower-body mechanics needs improvement. He has a laser arm, but he needs to work on his touch and ball placement on throws that can't just be rifled to a spot. He sometimes trusts his arm too much and makes bad decisions that put the ball in harms way. Levis's decision-making and processing ability can be hit or miss, as he sometimes locks in on his initial read. The physical tools are all present for Levis; the consistency and details of playing the position need work.

It's unlikely that the Vikings will end up selecting Levis, largely due to their draft position. But who knows? If their work on him leads them to believe all of his weaknesses are fixable, don't rule out the possibility that Minnesota makes a move up to get Levis in April.

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