Teams in the NFL do not have a lot of patience for quarterbacks in the modern era. After selecting Will Levis 33rd overall with the first pick of the second round in 2023 from Kentucky, the Tennessee Titans chose Cam Ward from Miami first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Levis and Ward were both late bloomers. Levis was a backup for two seasons at Penn State before transferring to Kentucky. Ward's path as an unranked prospect who went to FCS Incarnate Word for two seasons before transferring to Washington State for another pair of seasons and then one at Miami has been well documented.
Tennessee was 5-16 in the 21 games Levis started during his two NFL seasons. Levis was 17-4 in two seasons at Kentucky. Ward was 35-22 in Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami combined. Levis redshirted as a freshman in 2018 and played 15 games with two starts in 2019 and 2020 at Penn State.
The scouting report for Levis entering the NFL stated one of his weaknesses was that he had a "poor feel inside the pocket for pressure points." One of the strengths for Ward in his NFL scouting report was that he "recognizes pre-snap pressure and can protect himself."
Stat Category | Will Levis | Cam Ward |
|---|---|---|
Games | 39 | 38 |
Completions | 479 | 948 |
Attempts | 738 | 1,436 |
Percentage | 64.9 | 66.0 |
Yards | 5,877 | 11,281 |
Touchdowns | 46 | 87 |
Interceptions | 25 | 23 |
Yards per attempt | 8.0 | 7.9 |
Passer Rating | 145.6 | 148.8 |
The above numbers are solely based on FBS games. Levis spent his entire collegiate career at the FBS level, while Ward played his first two seasons in FCS. Ward has a huge edge in his collegiate numbers and experience, but he started more games and received more snaps.
The expectation will be that Ward is the starter for Tennessee on opening day. There has been some speculation that Levis could be traded after Tennessee drafted Ward. If Levis is not moved, Tennessee could give Levis a chance to compete with Ward to be the starter, or he will be an experienced backup.