The Detroit Lions are making their final preparations before the 2023 NFL draft on Thursday, April 27 and are getting some of their final orders from the media.
When it comes to prospects the team should both look at and avoid, who comes to mind? There are several names to consider in that vein, but perhaps the top name from the Detroit perspective is Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.
Writer Alex Kay took a look at naming the player the Lions should avoid in the draft, and a quarterback was the answer. Kay isn’t high on Will Levis, especially for a team like the Lions that has several other needs on their roster at this point in time.
“Jared Goff has proved himself to the organization and earned its trust, making a selection like Will Levis an unnecessary one for Detroit. After ranking as one of the league’s worst total defenses last year, Detroit has far more needs on that side of the ball to sort out. Prospects like Devon Witherspoon and Calijah Kancey will help Detroit both immediately and immensely. Reaching for a quarterback who has a late-first-round grade with either of their first two picks would be a mistake by the Lions,” he wrote in the piece.
As the process has gone on, the situaiton with Levis has become a bit confusing. Some see him as a lock to go within the top five, while others think he could slip down the board. It seems that few people understand what his market might be and Levis is polarizing, but all will soon be revealed in the first-round.
Should Levis slip down the board a bit, the Lions could see him on the clock when they pick at six and perhaps again at 18. As Kay points out, though, it might not be worth the team taking such a gamble on Levis at this point in time with many other needs on the roster, especially on defense.
Another Analyst Named Will Levis Lions’ Top Fit
Others may be out on Levis for the Lions, but others are firmly in as it relates to his market. Another Bleacher Report writer took a look at the prospect and named him a good fit for the Lions in the draft.
Writer Alex Ballentine named some of their ideal picks in the first-round for every single team, and when it came to Detroit’s entries, there was at least one surprise in the form of Levis,
“Quarterback is not such a dire need that the Lions should be looking to trade up for one, but if Kentucky’s Will Levis falls all the way to their second pick at No. 18 they would do well to put an end to his slide. In B/R’s latest mock draft, Levis surprisingly falls all the way to No. 19 and goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” Ballentine wrote in the piece.
Levis has been a popular name in the process, but not for the Lions, even as some have tried to tie quarterbacks to the team. Playing for Kentucky, he has been solid, putting up 5,876 yards and 47 passing touchdowns in his career, to go with 742 yards on the ground and 17 rushing touchdowns.
It’s been assumed Levis would be a top 10 pick, but if he’s not, could he work himself into position with the Lions and their second first-round selection at 18? Not everyone thinks the team should be avoiding Levis at all costs.
Lions Will Consider Quarterback Pick
Regardless of if they consider Levis strongly or not, the Lions will have some decision to make at quarterback in 2023.
Detroit hasn’t had much contact with Levis in the pre-draft process, and whether that’s telling or not for the actual draft remains to be seen. The point does stand, though, that the team could be looking for a quarterback.
The Lions have struggled developing young quarterbacks, and it’s a fact that their general manager Brad Holmes has discussed openly since the offseason began. With this in mind, it seems wise to predict the Lions will spend a draft pick on the position this year eventually.
Even with that said, Jared Goff is entrenched as the starter, and isn’t going anywhere. Goff’s play down the stretch when he would finish with 29 touchdowns and 4,438 yards passing as well as a 2023 Pro Bowl birth was good enough to solidify his role with the team.
Still, with free agent Nate Sudfeld back in the mix as his backup, and an offer apparently still on the table for Teddy Bridgewater, the Lions could be hunting for some upside behind Goff. They could also elect to look for a younger player to develop behind Goff for the future, as Campbell has alluded to.
So far in the process, the Lions have done most of their homework on Hendon Hooker, an electric talent from Tennessee. Hooker sustained an ACL injury late in the 2022 season, but looked good enough to post 3,135 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in addition to 430 rushing yards and five touchdowns before injury, showing how dynamic he could be.
In addition to Hooker, the Lions have gotten closer looks at Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, who figures to be one of the first quarterbacks taken. They have also showed their interest in Fresno State’s Jake Haener, who could be a day-three option at the position. Many have also affirmed that the Lions should be looking at players like Houston’s Clayton Tune as well as Stanford’s Tanner McKee in the middle-rounds.
Even if the Lions avoid Levis as instructed, the team could still end up with a quarterback selection in this draft. It may not, however, be in the first-round.
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Lions Given Instructions to Avoid Polarizing Quarterback During Draft