“Don’t believe everything you read on the internet,” was the sage advice that came this week from Will Levis, who stands for a few more hours as both an NFL QB-in-waiting and the primary figure in a case study as to whether you should, in fact, believe what you read on the internet.
The Kentucky signal caller has been a widely discussed topic for several months due to his prototypical QB body and cannon of a throwing arm, but that interest ratcheted up many, many notches, just two days before the picks are locked. Due to, of all things, a Reddit post.
A 30-word missive on a Reddit group devoted to betting tips claimed Levis had been telling his friends and family that Carolina would take him with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, acquired for a haul in a trade with the Chicago Bears.
The reaction, at least in the gambling world, was immediate and wild, with the resulting action sending Levis’ odds plunging on various sportsbooks, from as high as +4000 to as low as +400, providing the first glimmer of a challenge to the long-held assumption that Alabama QB Bryce Young will hear his name called first.
Whatever happens — and there’s not long to wait and wonder now — Levis’ mini-saga is the ultimate reminder that the draft is like nothing else. The whole beauty of this fascinating little window of the football year revolves around the tantalizing notion that what is going to happen is mostly decided already, especially in terms of the first few picks.
Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Will Levis highlights
That information is held, infuriatingly, by a tiny number of people, which is why it feels priceless. And it’s how an unsubstantiated rumor from an anonymous Reddit account can have the same sort of impact as breaking news from the kind of expert account that used to have a blue checkmark.
Whether the Reddit post turns out to be golden information (unlikely) or distracting misinformation (probably), Levis was the perfect role player for something to send the rumor mill into a scramble.
Deciphering which college football players will shine brightest at the pro level is far from an exact science, and Levis is a prime example of how teams evaluate talent differently.
The No. 1 rumor was a bolt from nowhere but not entirely unthinkable, given that he’s a QB with some special gifts and has a certain look (Josh Allen, anyone?) that teams could convince themselves to fall in love with.
Levis — 23 years old, 6-foot-3, 231 pounds, having thrown 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season — has gained traction at No. 2 (Houston) and No. 4 (Indianapolis) in plenty of mock drafts, too. Yet it is also conceivable that, as the fourth or fifth QB on many media boards, he could experience a serious drop. If he hasn’t been called by the time we get to the teens, he could be sitting a good while longer.
He will be there in Kansas City and a gnawing, demoralizing wait is not out of the question. It happens sometimes, as a pretty famous guy who just joined the New York Jets can tell you.
But then there’s also the “what if” on the flip side. If Levis does somehow end up going No. 1, there will be a lot of happy folks holding betting slips, such was the weight of the influx of wagers. And the Panthers will have confounded everyone.
A similar situation happened last year in the NBA Draft, when hoops experts were bamboozled by a huge gambling run on Duke’s Paolo Banchero that sent his odds tightening late over prior frontrunner Jabari Smith Jr.
Ultimately, despite all the standard predictions insisting Smith Jr. or Chet Holmgren were the primary contenders for the top pick, Banchero was taken by the Orlando Magic, and last weekend was a runaway winner of the Rookie of the Year award.
This weekend promises to provide one heck of a draft. These things are always at their most dramatic when they’re heavy on QBs, and this time around there are five throwers a compelling case can be made for.
A couple of months back, Florida’s Anthony Richardson was the hot name following a spectacular pro day. C.J. Stroud was once seen as a likely No. 1, and while Young has assumed that mantle, Stroud’s stock is still high. Hendon Hooker, projected by many to be the fifth QB taken, may have gone a lot higher if not for a midseason ACL injury at Tennessee.
Ohio State HC Ryan Day predicts QB C.J. Stroud will be drafted high
As for Levis, nothing would be a huge surprise at this point.
Soon enough, we’ll all know and the waiting game will be over. Until then, just remind yourself this: you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.
Unless, of course, it turns out to be true, in which case all bets are … winning?
