The Jets recently signed former Titans quarterback Will Levis to their practice squad. Today, we break him down in detail.
The 27-year old Levis is listed at 6’4” and 229 pounds and was a second round pick out of Kentucky in 2023. He has started 21 games in his NFL career, winning just five, and did not play last season due to injury.
Background
Levis was a three-star high school recruit, whose college career began at Penn State, where he redshirted his first season in 2018.
He got a chance to start
his first game in the following season but after two years with the Nittany Lions, he had attempted just 102 passes, completing 61 for 644 yards with three touchdowns. He had also rushed for 473 yards and six touchdowns.
Levis decided to transfer to Kentucky in 2021 and passed for 367 yards in his first start – a sign of how far he had come since his first start with Penn State where he carried the ball 17 times and only passed in 15 times.
In 13 starts, Levis completed 66 percent of his passes for 2,827 yards and 24 touchdowns while also rushing for 376 yards and nine scores. However, he led the SEC with 13 interceptions.
Levis’ second season with the Wildcats saw him start 11 games and he passed for over 2,400 yards and 19 touchdowns with another two touchdowns on the ground. However, he threw another 10 interceptions.
Heading into the 2023 NFL draft, Levis’ stock seemed to be rising, with some reports indicating he was under consideration to be selected first overall. However, he ended up dropping out of the first round altogether with the Titans moving up to select him with the first pick of day two.
Levis struggled in camp and preseason, and began the year as the number three quarterback. However, he got a chance to start his first game in late October and threw four touchdown passes in a win over the Falcons. Several weeks later he passed for 327 yards and two late touchdowns in a comeback win over the Dolphins.
Overall, though, he was just 3-6 as a starter, completing 58 percent of his passes for 1,808 yards and eight touchdowns with four interceptions. He did also rush for one touchdown.
Levis began his second season as the starter but got off to a bad start as the Titans lost four of their first five with Levis leading the league in turnovers. He would miss time due to injury in the middle part of the season and then after a couple of good performances, his play took a downturn and he was benched down the stretch. He ended the season with just two wins and 12 interceptions in 12 starts. He had just over 2,000 passing yards and 13 touchdowns.
Ahead of the 2025 season, the Titans drafted Cam Ward first overall and then it was announced that Levis needed shoulder surgery and would miss the entire year.
After an underwhelming camp this year, indications are that Levis asked to be released at the end of preseason and the Jets picked him up after he cleared waivers.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Levis brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Levis has good size and big hands, displaying athleticism, toughness and power as a runner. He posted a 34-inch vertical and 124-inch broad jump during his combine workout.
Arm Strength
Levis’ arm strength is regarded as one of his best attributes and he is not afraid to rip passes into a tight window.
He can also be effective on deep throws, and puts a lot of air under the ball, throwing both from the pocket and on the move.
Accuracy
Levis’ completion percentage in college was in the mid-60’s which is acceptable, but largely a product of the fact he threw a lot of dump-offs. To his credit, he improved his completion percentage from 58 to 63 in his second NFL season.
His ball placement has been inconsistent throughout his college and pro career, but the bigger issue seems to be that he’s often late on throws.
With that said, from time to time he will throw a bullseye on a tight window throw.
Under pressure
Levis’ pocket presence is another area that holds him back. He doesn’t seem to have a good feel for pressure and will often try to escape rather than throw the ball away. He has been sacked 69 times in his 21 career starts but some of them came as he held the ball too long or ran himself into trouble.
The bigger issue for Levis is that when pressure comes, he will often panic and try to make something happen rather than cutting his losses, which can lead to some catastrophic mistakes.
He has had nine passes batted down or deflected at the line and has fumbled 17 times in his career, losing 10.
He does at least show some toughness in terms of being prepared to stay in the pocket and get a throw off under heavy pressure.
Footwork/Technique
Levis has a quick, compact release and throws a tight spiral, but he can struggle to put touch on the ball and needs to tighten up his mechanics.
He doesn’t seem to trust his footwork, instead being over-reliant on off-platform throws. While he is capable of making these at times, he can sometimes be erratic as a result.
Decision Making
With 23 interceptions in his two years as a full-time starter in college, and 16 in 21 starts at the pro level, it’s evident that Levis isn’t afraid to take risks.
However, this can lead to him being burned when he tries to force throws or is inaccurate. Moreover, he can make some really reckless decisions with the ball.
In assessing his potential to become a more reliable quarterback, you have to be concerned over Levis’ inability to read the field at times. On this play, he threw to a receiver who was covered on fourth down even though another receiver was all alone on the same side of the field.
His overall mindset in terms of a refusal to take sacks or throw the ball away rather than take a risk of a fumble, interception or injury can be problematic.
Mobility
Levis was really a run-first quarterback when he started his college career and even had a game where he rushed for 113 yards and four touchdowns after transferring to Kentucky.
However, he was obviously keen to establish himself as more of a traditional passer ahead of the 2023 draft, because he hardly ran the ball at all in his final season.
Levis is capable of moving around the pocket to get throws off, but ultimately lacks feel and poise in these situations.
At the pro level, he’s used his legs at times but has just one touchdown and a longest gain of 21.
He does display toughness and will battle for yardage as a ball carrier. However, there should also be concerns about ball security and keeping himself healthy because he can be reckless at times.
Special teams
Levis has not played a role on special teams at any level and would not be expected to in the NFL.
Scheme Fit
As noted, Levis ran the ball a lot when he was with Penn State, but did get a chance to operate in a pro style system when Liam Coen was his offensive coordinator during his first season with the Wildcats.
He has been a teammate of current Jets Trevin Wallace, T’Vondre Sweat, Brant Banks, Samuel Womack, Nate Lynn and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. during his career.
Injuries
Levis missed the entire 2025 season after requiring shoulder surgery. He had originally suffered an injury to his AC joint in week four of the 2024 season and then aggravated that injury in the following game, causing him to be out for three weeks.
In his final season in college, Levis missed a few games when he suffered a dislocated finger and an ankle injury that left him in a walking boot in the same game.
He also had a hamstring issue during his rookie preseason.
Intangibles
Former Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops praised Levis’ toughness and competitiveness, calling him a “great leader” and saying he made the players around him better.
He had impressed the Kentucky staff by learning their system quickly to snatch the starting job, and was voted as a team captain for both of his seasons with the Wildcats.
Levis did a lot of community work in college, and his academics were excellent as he graduated at Penn State and then did a masters degree at Kentucky. He was a two-time all-academic Big Ten selection and a two-time member of the SEC academic honor roll.
There are no character flags other than some strange eating habits and a hacking scandal involving a viral sex tape, which doesn’t seem to have been his fault.
Conclusions
As a college prospect, Levis was regarded as a toolsy quarterback with arm talent, but with rawness to his game and a lot to learn. Unfortunately, three years later not much has changed in terms of that prognosis.
Levis has had some great highlights during his pro career to date, and even put together a handful of good performances. In fact, if you look at his highlight reel, you would likely come away impressed. However, his lowlights are just as bad, and you could equally put together a reel of his worst moments that would immediately sum up why he hasn’t been an NFL success and has a long way to go to reach that level.
You might consider the early success that JJ McCarthy has had with the Giants and be hopeful that Levis could enjoy similar success with a change of scenery and good weapons around him. However, while the time it took to give up on each of them was similar, McCarthy’s body of work was better, and he has proved more capable of winning games, albeit on a stronger team.
For the Jets, Geno Smith is obviously not a long-term solution, but it may be too early to throw Cade Klubnik to the wolves. We may therefore see Levis get his shot at some point. Perhaps he has the talent and determination to turn his career around but realistically it would be surprising if this Jets staff was the one he achieved that under.
