NFL Draft 2023: Projected first-round quarterback Will Levis takes Top-30 visit with Patriots

The New England Patriots wrapped up their Top-30 visits on Wednesday, but not before taking a look at one of the top quarterback prospects in the class. Kentucky’s Will Levis was in town, according to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Levis, 23, is coming off a five-year college career that started at Penn State and ended at Kentucky. Along the way, he appeared in 39 games with 23 starts — a majority of those coming during his two seasons with the Wildcats.

Over that span, he developed into a bona fide first-round prospect. Between 2021 and 2022, Levis completed 418 of his 636 pass attempts (65.7%) for a combined 5,233 yards, 43 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He also was named a team captain each of those two seasons at Kentucky.

While he failed to build on the promise he showed in his first year in the program and is a work in progress as far as accuracy and decision-making are concerned, Levis is still considered a potential Day 1 starter at the pro level. It is not hard to see why: he possesses plenty of the tools required to play the quarterback position successfully in today’s NFL.

Standing at just under 6-foot-4 and 229 yards, Levis combines good size with a powerful arm, fast release, natural feel for the pocket, and the ability to throw off-platform and play out of structure. He is able to make all the throws in the book.

Regardless of all the positives, his visit with the Patriots is still curious.

New England, after all, invested a first-round draft pick in quarterback Mac Jones just two years ago. While Jones had a disappointing 2022 campaign, his rookie year was encouraging and the team is seemingly committed to building around him; veteran offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bill O’Brien was hired in part because of the relationship he had built with Jones back in 2021.

In addition to Jones, the Patriots also have Bailey Zappe and recent free agency pickup Trace McSorley under contract. Zappe saw extended action in place of an injured Jones in 2022 and looked surprisingly good; McSorley was brought aboard to provide experienced depth behind the two youngsters.

Despite New England having three QBs signed at the moment, the club adding another quarterback through the draft would not come as a surprise. The belief is that such a selection would happen no sooner than Day 3, though, and not at or around No. 14 overall.

Obviously, bringing Levis in for a visit is no indicator for any intentions — only a handful of prospects reportedly taking Top-30 visits were actually later drafted by the team the last 10 years. However, it adds another chapter to an offseason filled with rumors and speculation about the Patriots’ quarterback position.