The slide out of the first round of the NFL draft by former Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Will Levis, who was expected by many to be selected among the top 10 picks, may have been due to injury concerns.
Late Thursday night, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that teams may been hesitant to invest in the talented signal-caller due to a toe injury suffered at Kentucky last season.
The toe injury, which caused him to miss several games in 2022, could be the reason for Levis’s unexpected drop out of the opening round.
“Will Levis’ left toe that caused him to miss two games last year was ‘problematic’ for one team that considered him,” Mortensen tweeted. “Levis says the ‘toe has healed’ and is good to go. Another team believes Levis could manage it but thought surgery would need discussion after the season. Levis disagrees.”
Will Levis’ left toe that caused him to miss two games last year was “problematic “ for one team that considered him.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) April 28, 2023
Levis says the “toe has healed” and good to go.
Another team believes Levis could manage it but thought surgery would need discussion after season.
Levis…
Despite possessing elite arm talent, Levis now will be hoping to hear his name called early on Day 2 of the draft.
However, if teams are seriously concerned about the injured toe, he may have another long wait ahead of him on Friday night.
The first round witnessed three quarterbacks selected, as Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson all came off the board among the first four picks.