Will Levis to Vikings, Richardson to Colts in Charles Davis' 2023 NFL Mock Draft

In his first 2023 NFL mock draft, NFL Network's Charles Davis had three quarterbacks come off the board in the first four picks, and a fourth drop to a surprising team later in the round.

The Carolina Panthers at No. 1, Houston Texans at No. 2 and Indianapolis Colts at No. 4 are all widely expected to select quarterbacks, and Davis stuck with that trend, mocking Ohio State's C.J. Stroud to Carolina, Alabama's Bryce Young to Houston and Florida's Anthony Richardson to Indianapolis.

A fourth quarterback—Kentucky's Will Levis—is considered a likely first-round pick as well and could conceivably come off the board in the first five to 10 picks, but Davis went in a different direction.

Davis has Levis falling all the way to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 23 overall, which would perhaps make him the heir apparent to veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins.

Stroud and Young are widely thought of as the safest and highest-floor quarterback prospects in the 2023 class due to their collegiate production, while Richardson and Levis potentially have higher ceilings along with added risk.

Richardson is coming off an all-time NFL Scouting Combine performance that undoubtedly helped solidify his status as a possible top-five pick.

In addition to setting the combine record for quarterbacks in the vertical jump and broad jump, Richardson posted one of the best-ever 40-yard dash times by a quarterback at 4.43 seconds.

Richardson is not only the most athletic quarterback in the draft, but he is also the biggest at 6'4" and 244 pounds.

Although Richardson showed effortless arm strength on his deep balls at the combine, he still has a ton of developing to do as a passer.

In his only season as the starting quarterback at Florida, Richardson completed just 53.8 percent of his passes for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He often made teams pay with his legs, though, rushing for 654 yards and nine scores.

Indy could be the best possible landing spot for Richardson due to the presence of new head coach Shane Steichen, who was previously the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator.

With Steichen calling the plays, dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts developed into an MVP candidate in 2022, and he helped lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl.

There are many teams picking inside the top 10 to 15 picks that could grab Levis, but he does seem the most likely of the big four quarterbacks to drop.

After beginning his college career at Penn State, Levis transferred to Kentucky and started for the Wildcats for two seasons.

Collectively, he completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 5,232 yards, 43 touchdowns and 23 interceptions at Kentucky, plus he rushed for 11 touchdowns.

Like Richardson, Levis has a big arm and the type of frame NFL teams prefer at 6'4" and 229 pounds. Perhaps the biggest knock on him is his decision making, as he threw quite a few interceptions at inopportune times in college.

Levis would likely benefit from sitting and learning behind an established starter for a year or two in the NFL, and the Vikings could provide him with that opportunity.

Minnesota has no reason to imminently move on from Cousins after his solid production last season, so the Vikings could afford to be patient with Levis.

It would also be a solid spot for Levis due to the presence of head coach Kevin O'Connell, who is considered one of the NFL's top offensive minds.