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While New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien has given Mac Jones a “clean slate,” the team is exploring its options at quarterback.
New England hosted top quarterback draft prospect Will Levis for a pre-draft visit according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
Last season, Levis threw for 2,406 yards at Kentucky while tossing 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions per Sports Reference. He ended his collegiate career with 5,876 yards, 46 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions.
Will Levis Is a Top QB Prospect
If the Patriots were to draft Levis, they would be getting one of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft class. NFL Draft expert Lance Zierlein called Levis one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the 2023 draft.
“He has prototypical size and experience operating in a pro-style passing attack,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s an athletic passer, with the ability to zip off-platform throws with plus velocity from a compact release. He struggled to put together an extended period of high-caliber quarterback play in 2022, but was also dealing with injuries that he fought his way through for much of the season. Levis has the arm to beat coverages on all three levels, but inadequate placement and accuracy have created a lot of uncatchable throws. He’s a capable runner outside the pocket but needs to improve his feel for pressure and his consistency when throwing on the move. Levis’ talent is well worth an investment, but could require a talented quarterback coach and a patient plan to tighten up his mechanics, rebuild his confidence and explore an offensive scheme that best suits him.”
Zierlein went on to compare Levis to Jay Cutler.
New England Patriots 2023 Offseason Grade
The Patriots offseason is receiving some positive praise. After acquiring JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki, Bleacher Report gave New England’s offseason a B+ grade.
“To be clear, the Patriots didn’t do a ton of impressive work during free agency,” wrote Kristopher Knox. “They pulled the plug on the Jonnu Smith experiment, getting a seventh-round pick from Atlanta and offloading his $6 million cap hit. They replaced Jakobi Meyers with JuJu Smith-Schuster, replaced Damien Harris with James Robinson and added Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson to help replace offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn, who remains unsigned. Adding Mike Gesicki was a smart move, as he should be an upgrade over Smith. New England also re-signed important role players like cornerback Jonathan Jones, safety Jabrill Peppers, cornerback Jalen Mills and linebacker Mack Wilson.”
While New England has made improvements on the field, Knox believes that the biggest and most positive addition that the Patriots made was off of the field.
“However, New England hit a home run by bringing back Bill O’Brien as its offensive coordinator,” Knox added. “The offense sagged with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge—who have defensive and special-teams backgrounds, respectively—calling the shots. Quarterback Mac Jones regressed significantly after being a rookie Pro Bowler in 2021. When last in New England, O’Brien coached an offense that ranked second in yards and third in scoring. Having an actual, experienced offensive play-caller should help Jones and the offense tremendously.”
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