Atlanta Falcons Arthur Smith Previews Tennessee Titans' Will Levis
The Atlanta Falcons' matchup with the Tennessee Titans will see them face rookie second-round pick Will Levis in his first career start. While they don't have any tape of the former Kentucky Wildcat in the NFL, they do know of him from their scouting before this past April's NFL Draft.
“Obviously, he has a big-time arm. Very smart player. Ball came out quick. Played in a lot of big games at Kentucky," Falcons coach Arthur Smith said of the Titans rookie signal-caller. "They drafted him for a reason. They put a lot of draft capital into their offense this season, right? Up front, the two linemen – Skoronski and Duncan – obviously Levis and all across. Hopkins, they’ve got some top-shelf talent on offense that they invested in this offseason. It’s going to be a challenge just like there is every week.”
The Falcons had multiple opportunities to get a look at Levis during the draft process; Atlanta even went as far as hosting him on one of their pre-draft visits as they continued to weigh who they'd select with the No. 8 pick.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (L) and Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith (R)
USA Today Sports
The Falcons ultimately passed on Levis and the rest of the available quarterbacks with the No. 8 pick and instead took running back Bijan Robinson. Levis would end up waiting until the second-round before the Titans called his name with the No. 33 overall pick.
Now, as the 24-year-old prepares for his first start in place of the injured Ryan Tannehill, Levis only adds to the familiarity between the two sides, as prior to being hired by the Falcons, Smith was the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach in Tennessee under coach Mike Vrabel.
Combining Smith's history coaching under Vrabel in Tennessee with Levis's draft story, two intriguing storylines are created: homecoming and revenge.
