It was a long night in Kansas City for Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.
One of 17 players invited by the NFL to the NFL Draft, Levis was not selected in the first round. That led to numerous shots of Levis sitting in the green room, surrounded by his family, his girlfriend and UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
Despite vigorous backing from ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., who continually listed Levis as best player available, Levis fell out of the first round.
Why? Alabama’s Bryce Young was taken No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud was taken second by the Houston Texans. After Indianapolis selected Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson with the fourth pick overall, no other quarterbacks were taken among the 31 first-half selections.
Questions about Levis’ inconsistent play last season no doubt played a role. Levis has the size and arm strength to be an NFL quarterback, but there are questions about his accuracy and pocket presence.
Friday’s second and third rounds of the draft begin at 7 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network.
Some reaction to Levis’ Thursday night:
▪ Jon Hale of the Herald-Leader on Levis not being taken after an early run on quarterbacks.
▪ Teams have made calls inquiring about early Round 2 picks targeting Levis, says Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.
▪ The NFL Network’s Ryan Leaf says that Will Levis was actually a winner on Thursday night.
▪ Levis got a classy tweet from Jets’ Sauce Gardner after draft.
▪ Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports says Levis is the latest victim of the NFL Draft hype machine.
▪ ESPN’s Chris Mortensen says Levis’ toe injury was a concern for teams.
▪ Levis headlines players who showed up for draft and didn’t get picked, reports Pro Football Talk.
▪ Hype over Levis was pure hope, writes Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports.
▪ ESPN’s Todd McShay says Levis gave some teams Carson Wentz vibes.
▪ Levis’ girlfriend received a lot of attention on social media.
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