Titans trade up to draft Will Levis at No. 33 overall

Sep 18, 2021; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Will Levis (7) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Chattanooga Mocs at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Will Levis may have had to wait the entire first round of the 2023 NFL Draft without being picked, but he didn’t have to wait long in the second round before being drafted.

The Tennessee Titans on Friday traded up with the Arizona Cardinals to the No. 33 overall slot in the draft. They used the pick to select Levis.

Levis’ slide in the draft was the talk after Thursday considering he and many others thought he would go in the top 10 and perhaps the top 5. Instead, three quarterbacks were picked in the top four, while Levis wasn’t taken in the first round.

Tennessee taking Levis indicates they are not completely satisfied with Ryan Tannehill, who has a $36.6 million cap hit in 2023. This may be Tannehill’s last season in Tennesse. The Titans are probably hoping that the pick will spur Tannehill to play at the top of his game, or that Levis will be able to develop and be ready to take over in 2024.

Tennessee traded a 2024 3rd-round pick in order to move up eight spots to take Levis. They also swapped third-round picks in 2023 with Arizona.

We have agreed to trade with the Tennessee Titans. pic.twitter.com/qzw153jgsp

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) April 28, 2023

The selection of Levis also indicates the Titans don’t think too highly of last year’s third-round pick Malik Willis, who was completely overmatched when he saw playing time during his rookie season.