Will Levis Would've Been Colts' Pick If Anthony Richardson Was Off Board, Irsay Says

Will Levis slipping out of the first round was perhaps the most shocking development of the 2023 NFL draft. But it almost never happened.

The Indianapolis Colts would have considered taking the Kentucky quarterback at No. 4 had Anthony Richardson been off the board, team owner Jim Irsay said Saturday.

Instead, Levis ended up taking a huge tumble into the second round before the Tennessee Titans took him at No. 33.

Levis will be looking to prove Irsay and Colts general manager Chris Ballard wrong for the rest of his career.

Levis is now set up to be the heir apparent to the aging Ryan Tannehill, who is coming off an injury-plagued 2022 season. He'll be battling with 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis for a higher spot on the Titans' depth chart.

Irsay teased potentially taking Levis in the second round to compete with Richardson for the starting job, but the Titans had other plans.

Levis was seen as a near lock to go in the first round as one of the top four quarterback prospects along with Richardson, Alabama's Bryce Young and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud. Those three turned out to be the only signal-callers to be taken in first 31 picks.

Levis had a pair of impressive seasons at Kentucky, where helped bolster a program that isn't known for having elite talent. He set career highs across the board in 2021, throwing for 2,826 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 66.0 percent of his passes.

He also added 376 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground that season.