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Title Photo: Jordan Prather / USA TODAY Sports (Illustration: Bryce Wood)
Titans Nation, grab some Hellmans. Will Levis is your QB of the future.
The Titans traded up to get him with the second pick of the second round, at number 33 overall. Now many people are questioning this decision, as there is a huge hole at receiver, and we just drafted Malik Willis last year, but hear me out. Will Levis is going to be your starter in 2024.
Malik Willis was a project QB from the start. He came from a rudimentary spread offense at Liberty, which meant a sharp learning curve. While he balled out in the preseason, it is still just the preseason. The issues that showed up in the starts he made, the main one being his run-first mentality, were there in the preseason. Whenever there was trouble, he ran. And there was a lot of it, because of the weak offensive line, but regardless, Josh Dobbs played way better than Willis did, in the same situation, and just had a couple of days to learn the playbook. That’s not a good look. Willis could become an All-Pro QB. Just not in Tennessee. Levis comes from a very similar offense, with Kentucky running a similar 12-personnel with play-action the way the Titans do. He has a better arm, is a better passer, and had legitimate hype about being top-10. He is a similar player to Ryan Tannehill, but is more athletic. Levis and Willis will compete in the offseason and preseason (if Malik is still on the team), but Levis is the QB of the future and fans need to accept that.
One thing that will help Will tremendously, is Tennessee’s first-round pick, offensive lineman, Peter Skoronski. He will most likely play LG, and fits into the system and culture perfectly.
3rd-round pick, Tulane running back Tyjae Spears will not see much action, but this was a pick for the future. King Henry will most likely walk after the year, and second-year running back Hassan Haskins will see the field more, especially on third downs. In 2024 Spears will compete for the starting job. The guy I am most excited about though is 5th-rounder, Josh Whyle, former Cincinnati TE. Standing at 6’7” 233lbs, I am looking forward to him pairing up with Chig Okonkwo to form an athletic TE duo.
One thing that Mike Vrabel emphasized this offseason was the need to get faster and more athletic. New GM Ran Carthon has definitely done that and the draft is a great reminder of the Titans new philosophy. While there still is a hole at WR2, I trust the moves that the front office makes.