The biggest need for the Minnesota Vikings is at the quarterback position. After the 2023 season, they don’t have a starting quarterback, and the Vikings need to figure that out quickly.
Picking a quarterback of the future could go in multiple different ways. They could look at a veteran in incumbent Kirk Cousins or in the trade market with Lamar Jackson or Trey Lance. However, the most likely route the Vikings would take is with a rookie quarterback. The question is which one?
C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, and Anthony Richardson are all projected to go in the top four picks. The other two quarterbacks have been mocked to the Vikings over the past week in Kentucky’s Will Levis and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker. I wrote a feature piece last week about why I don’t think Hooker is worth a top pick, and it’s a different story with Levis. He is worth the pick at 23, and even with a moderate trade up.
Levis leaves Kentucky as a fifth-year senior who started the last two seasons for the Wildcats. He transferred from Penn State after the 2020 season due to losing the starting quarterback battle to Sean Clifford. It’s pretty normal for quarterbacks to transfer in today’s age of college football because of the failure of college coaches to pick the right quarterback and the transfer rules.
In his two seasons at Kentucky, he compiled quite the stat line.
- 5,876 yards passing
- 46 touchdowns
- 25 interceptions
- 312 carries
- 742 yards rushing
- 17 touchdowns
Considering the lack of talent surrounding Levis, these numbers are pretty impressive in the SEC. There are plenty of reasons why he would be worth trading up for.
Kentucky did a lot of the quick game. With the lack of talent, screens and short routes were the priority for the Wildcats. The thing with being successful in the quick game is that it translates to the NFL. You don’t need to be good in the quick game, but it makes a big difference. The Vikings use a lot of quick game in Kevin O’Connell‘s offense with stick routes, slants, and screens. Levis shows a propensity to do just that at a high level and with accuracy.
In the NFL, you need to be able to work through progressions. Early on, half field reads are acceptable as you get used to the speed and dynamics of the game at the next level. It’s something that we’ve seen with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts over the last three seasons. Along with half field reads, the RPO game is something that gets a lot of focus. Levis can operate that at a positive level. In this play, he sees the linebackers crashing the line of scrimmage and hits the glance route for an easy gain. You can see how quickly he makes the decision as he’s backpedaling.
Levis didn’t have a lot of time to work through progressions during his time at Kentucky. That wasn’t his fault, as the offensive line couldn’t protect him well enough. He got pressured on 127 dropbacks (37.7%) last season and took 34 sacks (26.8%). That’s not a great pressure to sack conversion, but it’s hard to completely fault Levis. He was collapsed on in the pocket way too often. Yes, Levis has some issues when pressured like Cousins does, but parsing out how much of that was on him is something that you will need to do before drafting him.
This rep shows what he can do with progressions. Going from right to left, Levis targets his second or third read on a curl route and gets a good gain.
My comp for Levis is Kirk Cousins with the ability to make next-level throws like Josh Allen. An interesting dichotomy, right? One of the issues that he had in college was what I identified earlier in a lack of talent around him. They just didn’t have the capabilities to take advantage of his arm talent.
Even so, Levis found a way to display his abilities. Against Georgia in 2021, he had the best game of his career given the circumstances. He couldn’t attack down the field much due to the suffocating Bulldogs defense, but one throw toward the end of the game was excellent. Levis throws an opposite hash out route that’s just a missile. You want to see your quarterback make this throw, but it’s incredibly difficult. Not only does Levis hit the route, but he does so in rhythm. This, along with the next rep shows why some scouts love Levis.
The deep ball is what is really intriguing. Levis has an absolute cannon. He can throw the ball a country mile and do so with effectiveness consistently. Against Florida in week two this season, Levis made it look easy. Just like you would see in the NFL, he properly executed play-action and launches a beautiful post route for a touchdown. Just smooth and powerful. This is the type of throw that Allen would make and you ooh and ah over.
So, what is the right price to pay?
This is the tricky part right? Giving up too much is only an issue when you are talking about a player who busts. I don’t believe there is too high of a price for getting a true franchise guy. The price is a real issue when you factor in the risk. There is a lot of risk with Levis, considering his flaws and lack of production.
Luke Braun, the host of Locked on Vikings, put together a basic trade compensation chart for what it would cost to move up for a quarterback. These values are based on the Rich Hill trade chart and it gives a baseline for what it will cost.
I think giving up that first-round pick next year might be a bridge too far, but it’s worth considering if you truly believe Levis could be the guy for the next 15 years. Will the Vikings? That remains to be seen, but if Levis falls past 10, those talks are going to be coming fast and furious.
