Former UK QB Will Levis takes main stage at NFL Combine

INDIANAPOLIS, In. (WKYT) -The NFL Combine is underway in Indianapolis, and four former Kentucky Wildcats received invitations to work out, including quarterback Will Levis.

Levis said his reasoning for deciding to throw at the NFL Combine this week was pretty simple.

“I’ve got a cannon and I’m going to show it off.”

He said he spent the first few weeks of the off-season rehabbing injuries rather than training, but he thinks the pro-style offense former UK coordinator Rich Scangarello tried to run this past season benefitted him in this process.

“I think that our [Kentucky’s] terminology crosses over with a lot of different times in the league, so when they’re asking about the plays that we run and we’re watching tape and I’m running through kind of what our footwork or just what our language that we use was, it’s kind of cool when they can realize right away that it’s the same or very similar to what we do,” Levis explained.

The 23-year-old said he believes he can start in the NFL immediately and lead a team to compete for championships right away. With no hesitation, he said his goal is to be the greatest of all time.

He added that the ups and downs from his final season in Lexington taught him a lot.

“Season didn’t go as well as I mean, we would have wanted it to, but I mean, I learned a lot from it. Learned to how to kind of battle through adversity and just dealt with a lot of things physically and situationally that was tough, but I think I just became a better kind of player, a better quarterback because of it,” Levis said. “I’m going to show what I’m about once I get to that next level and do my best to show that to these coaches throughout this week as well.”

He said in the off season, he’s been working on some mechanics and watching a player familiar to fans in the area: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

“Joe is someone, especially in this off-season that I’ve focused a lot on. I think this off-season compared to off-seasons in the past I’ve really been trying to kind of perfect the movement leading up to the throw. I think that when I make some inaccurate passes, it’s due to kind of how I’m initiating the movement leading in to it. A lot of the times I can get away with it, because of how talented of an arm I have, but Joe, I think, does it better than anyone else in terms of movement in the pocket. Not the fastest guy, but he’s just able to move so efficiently to put himself in a stable base and make efficient throws.”

Exuding confidence, the projected first-rounder explained what he thinks sets him apart from other QB’s in the draft.

“Physically, I’d just say my arm talent. I think I got on strongest arms to come out of any draft class in recent memory and then just who I am as a person,” Levis told the media. “My morals, what I stand for, my values, and I think that’s been the most kind of beneficial thing for me to be able to share with these coaches throughout these formal interviews, to just get them to know me as a person and get them to understand how seriously I take every aspect of my life and just letting them know how much I love ball and I’m able to use those values and morals to make me the best person in the locker room and on the field as possible.”

The Newton, Massachusetts-native said he had a formal meeting with the Carolina Panthers that he thought went well, nd had talked to the Minnesota Vikings, but as of Friday morning, not the Indianapolis Colts- a place some projections had him going.

Saturday morning former UK running back Chris Rodriguez and offensive lineman Tashawn Manning will talk to the media. Levis and the other quarterbacks will work out at Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday afternoon beginning at 3:00 P.M. EST.

The 2023 NFL Draft is April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri.

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