2023 NFL mock draft: Washington Commanders select Kentucky QB Will Levis

We’re at the halfway point in our 2023 NFL mock draft, as controlled by the commenters here at Pride of Detroit. If you’re just jumping in now, the Pride of Detroit 2023 Community Mock Draft is where 28 of our commenters are acting as general managers for individual teams, and our own Erik Schlitt acts as the Detroit Lions general manager. Three teams are excluded, because that is the amount of teams who don’t have a pick in the first two rounds.

The Washington Commanders are on the clock now, but before we get into the pick, here is how the first 15 selections played out.

No. 1: Carolina Panthers, Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
No. 2: Houston Texans, C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
No. 3: Arizona Cardinals, Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
No. 4: Indianapolis Colts, Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
No. 5: Seattle Seahawks, Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama
No. 6: Detroit Lions, Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
No. 7: Las Vegas Raiders: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
No. 8: Atlanta Falcons: Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
No. 9: Chicago Bears: Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
No. 10: Philadelphia Eagles: Bryan Breese, EDGE, Clemson
No. 11: Tennessee Titans: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
No. 12: Houston Texans: Paris Johnson Jr., OL, Ohio State
No. 13: New York Jets: Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
No. 14: New England Patriots: Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
No. 15: Green Bay Packers: Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

Acting as general manager for the Washington Commanders is commenter nchntala. And with the 16th pick in the POD Community Mock, the Washington Commanders have selected Will Levis, quarterback out of Kentucky.

Here’s nchntala with the explanation for the pick:

“Since losing Kirk Cousins, they have finished 29th, 32nd, 25th, 23rd, and 24th in points scored with their best finish in offensive DVOA being 21st in 2021. Their offseason additions appear to be focused on improving that side of the ball. Jacoby Brissett QB, Curtis Samuel WR, Nick Gates IOL, and Andrew Wylie OT have been their most notable signings. With Brissett, they have added a good bridge QB but he has proven to be nothing more than that with the Commanders being his fourth team in four seasons. I know there is chatter out there that Sam Howell is going to get a chance to win their starting QB job, but he lasted to the fifth round in a weak QB class for a reason.

“Even with all that said, when the draft kicked off, CB was circled as a major need but at pick 16, I had to sit and watch Devon Witherspoon, Christian Gonzalez, and Joey Porter Jr. all be selected in the first 14 picks. Deionte Banks, Cam Smith, and Emmanuel Forbes are still there but there was one name that stood out as still being available.

“Will Levis QB - Kentucky

“Levis may be raw but he hits numerous boxes NFL evaluators look for at 6-foot-4, 229 pound, and 10 5/8-inch hands with a rocket arm. Anthony Richardson has deservedly stolen the show regarding raw athletic freaks in the draft but Levis still jumped 34” in the vert with a 10-foot-4 broad jump. He has played in an NFL style offense and I know his 2022 season leaves a lot to be desired but he lost a lot of his surrounding cast, he played injured throughout 2022, and OC Rich Scangarello didn’t make a lot of fans after dropping down from the NFL. There are some fundamentals to work on with Levis but after signing Brissett, there is no need to rush him in year one. He also represents significantly more upside than Brissett and fifth rounder Howell.

“The thing that sealed it for me is when looking within the NFC East, the Commanders easily have the worst QB situation and you can only win so much when dealing with that. This is where value (14th ranked on ESPN, 13th - The Athletic, 8th - CBS Sports, 4th - PFF, 12th - Daniel Jeremiah, 19th - The Ringer, 18th - SI, 21st - TDN) meets need.”

Time to grade the pick. How did nchntala do?