Kentucky football QB could be No. 1 overall pick

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - NOVEMBER 19: Will Levis #7 of the Kentucky Wildcats against the Georgia Bulldogs at Kroger Field on November 19, 2022 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - NOVEMBER 19: Will Levis #7 of the Kentucky Wildcats against the Georgia Bulldogs at Kroger Field on November 19, 2022 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Kentucky football QB Will Levis could be the top pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft, at least according to the latest odds by sportsbooks.

Can Will Levis follow up Tim Couch? Couch, a former Kentucky football quarterback, is the only Wildcat to ever be taken with the first pick in the NFL Draft. Couch went number one overall in 1999 to the Cleveland Browns.

The Carolina Panthers own the first overall pick in 2023, and until now, Will Levis wasn’t even in the running.

Now, sportsbooks say otherwise.

As of Tuesday, Levis was listed with +400 odds to be taken with the first overall pick by the Panthers. And the reason for the dramatic shift is about what is expected in 2023.

Who says it’s not true? In this day in age, anyone can have a credible source. And apparently, a Reddit thread is credible enough to move Levis’s odds to be the first pick all the way from +4500 to +400. Crazy how the internet works.

Levis could be a risk worth taking

With no clear-cut quarterback that is better than the rest in this year’s draft, Levis might be worth taking a risk on.

The lack of star playmakers at Kentucky helps Levis’s case because the potential is that much higher with NFL-caliber wide receivers. And as a 6-foot-4, 229-pound gunslinger, Levis brings a Josh Allen-type skillset to the table. He has untapped potential, a rocket of an arm, and a great body for an NFL quarterback.

Will Levis, Kentucky football, Kentucky Wildcats
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Compare that to the other top QBs in this year’s draft class.

Alabama’s Bryce Young is only 5-foot-10, a legitimate concern. CJ Stroud’s downfall is his arm strength, despite being arguably the most accurate quarterback in this class. Finally, Anthony Richardson is comparable to Levis but had better options to throw to with Florida, and did less with them.

We will be tracking where Levis and other Kentucky football players get drafted on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.