Analyst Defends Titans Forgotten QB

One Tennessee Titans quarterback has been subject to a lot of criticism, but he still has one analyst in his corner.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis exits the field after losing to the Indianapolis Colts. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Titans are expected to take a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, effectively ending Will Levis' tenure as the team's starting signal caller.

Levis was chosen with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and in his two years with the Titans, failed to live up to his pre-draft hype.

Despite his shortcomings, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. came to his defense.

“Will Levis was dealt a bad deck of cards,” Kiper said via The Tennessean reporter Gentry Estes.

“I mean, the bottom line, that offensive line was awful. They moved (JC) Latham back to right tackle. They brought in their veteran guard. The receivers had some key drops. They had a couple of punts blocked in those early games. ... He got hurt with the sprained shoulder. Nobody talked about that. … It was, just, I don't know how you survive. I don't know how you deal with that first year in that system.”

Levis showed flashes of being that franchise quarterback that then-general manager Ran Carthon thought he could be. However, those flashes were few and far between. In 2024, Levis dealt with many turnover struggles, and was unable to keep head coach Brian Callahan in his corner. Callahan benched Levis in favor of veteran backup Mason Rudolph towards the end of the season.

With a new general manager and head coach in Tennessee that didn't draft Levis, there's reason to believe that the team will go in a different direction with either Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.

This could possibly lead Levis to seek or request a trade that could land him in a position where he is more likely to succeed, but it's clear that his time is coming to an end in Tennessee.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!