Kentucky quarterback Will Levis came to the NFL Scouting Combine ready to let loose with his arm.
The 2023 QB draft class features a group with not only a lot of talent, but a lot of certainty in themselves – potentially none more so than Levis.
"I've got a cannon, and I want to show it off," the 23-year-old told the media Friday ahead of workouts. "I think I've got one of the stronger arms that's come out of any draft class in recent memory."
Levis measured in at 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds, with a 10 5/8" hand size and a 32-inch arm length. In athletic testing drills, he recorded a 34-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-4 broad jump – second-best among the quarterbacks, behind Florida's Anthony Richardson at 10-foot-9. Levis did not participate in the 40-yard dash or 10-yard split, but had social media going wild when he had the chance to put that "cannon" and accuracy on display Saturday.
McDaniels and Ziegler earlier in the week listed the traits that standout to them as they're assessing quarterback options, including proficiency, accuracy, toughness and explosiveness.
They could get the explosiveness they seek from the Kentucky QB, who clocked the third-fastest throw of the day at 59 mph in an arm strength drill.
"This offseason compared to offseasons in the past, I've really been trying to perfect the movement leading up to the throw," Levis said of working to improve his mechanics. "I think that when I make some inaccurate passes, it's due to how I'm initiating the movement going into it."
A graduate transfer from Penn State to Kentucky, Levis led the Wildcats to 10 wins in 2021 for just the fourth time in school history. In his 2022 campaign, he was plagued with injuries to his foot, finger and shoulder, and his stats took a step back, throwing for 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
"This past year, the season didn't go as well as we would have wanted it to, but I learned a lot from it," he said. "Learned how to battle through adversity and dealt with a lot of things physically and situationally that was tough, but I think I became a better player, a better quarterback because of it.
"I'm going to show what I'm about once I get to that next level and I'm doing my best to show that to these coaches throughout this week as well."
