Why the Patriots met with Will Levis, and what it could mean for 2023 NFL Draft

NFL staff visits with draft prospects got here to an finish this week with a little bit of a shocker.

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis taking an official go to on Wednesday with the New England Patriots.

At first blush, it’s a puzzling assembly to ponder. Levis is often mentioned as one of many prime quarterback prospects within the 2023 NFL Draft, and in keeping with up-to-the-minute odds from DraftKings, the Over/Underneath on his draft place subsequent week is ready at 6.5.

The Patriots choose 14th within the first spherical and have third-year quarterback Mac Jones entrenched as their beginning quarterback.

But with simply over per week earlier than the draft begins, the 2 events are taking a gathering.

This opens the door to the query: May quarterback be in play for the Patriots within the first spherical subsequent week?

In accordance with reporting relating to the go to, the assembly was described as considered one of “due diligence” by the Patriots. With New England sitting 14th within the first spherical, there’s a state of affairs — nonetheless doubtless or unlikely stays to be seen — the place the Patriots are confronted with Levis remaining on the board when New England is on the clock. Having a gathering with Levis places them ready to higher gauge any potential commerce gives that may are available for that choose (and the rights to draft Levis) from groups such because the Minnesota Vikings.

And everyone knows Invoice Belichick’s penchant for buying and selling down within the first spherical, if not out of the primary spherical utterly.

Nonetheless, in latest weeks and days I’ve begun to consider that the Patriots may truly be within the combine for a quarterback with that choice, ought to one be accessible, and right here is why.

It begins again in Indianapolis, and a room on the Indianapolis Conference Middle on a Friday morning in March. It was the morning the place the quarterbacks had been schedule to satisfy with the media earlier than their exercises on Saturday, and the most well-liked place to be in Indianapolis at 7:30 a.m. that morning (apart from the Starbucks within the J.W. Marriott) was on the podium the place Bryce Younger can be talking.

As I settled in among the many media members ready for the Alabama quarterback I started to note one thing.

A lot of Patriots beat writers.

I requested a number of of my associates within the business why there have been ready for Younger — and if there was one thing I wanted to find out about — and I used to be instructed that they had been all hoping to ask the Alabama quarterback questions on Invoice O’Brien, who had just lately been employed as the brand new offensive coordinator in New England. Honest sufficient.

But…when C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and different quarterbacks had their media classes, they remained.

One of many extra attention-grabbing facets of the Mix, along with listening to from the gamers themselves, is seeing the place the beat writers for every staff arrange every day, and what place teams they wish to hear from. That’s a good way to study how the groups themselves — by the reporters who’ve essentially the most inside information — view their rosters, and their wants.

So seeing a whole lot of New England beat writers in entrance of quarterbacks actually caught my consideration.

Then there’s a dialogue I had this week with my buddy Michael D’Abate, the host of Locked on Patriots. We talked at size on his podcast concerning the quarterback place in New England, the hiring of O’Brien, and what it’d all imply for Jones.

However Michael jogged my memory of what Belichick mentioned when the staff drafted Jimmy Garoppolo. Regardless of having Tom Brady within the fold, the Patriots went early on a quarterback. On the time Belichick had this to say: “We all know what Tom’s age and contract scenario is. I don’t suppose you wish to have one quarterback in your staff. I don’t suppose that’s accountable to all the staff or the group.”

He additionally mentioned this: “The scenario now we have at quarterback, we felt as a corporation that we would have liked to deal with that to some extent sooner or later,” Patriots head coach Invoice Belichick mentioned. “See how that each one works. I feel you’re higher being early slightly than late at that place.”

Positive, again in 2014 the way forward for the quarterback place concerned probably changing Brady on the finish of his profession. Issues are totally different proper now in New England. The Patriots are hoping that Jones can dwell as much as the expectations that had been in place when the group drafted him within the first spherical of the 2021 NFL Draft.

However given the concept of “being early slightly than late at that place,” is there a world the place, in maybe the final word hedge on Jones, the Patriots truly draft a quarterback within the first spherical?

In the end, I consider the Patriots go in a special path, and look to assist Jones slightly than discover a substitute for him. Including O’Brien was seen as a nod at getting one of the best out of their rising third-year quarterback, who confirmed indicators as a rookie that he might be an excellent NFL QB as he helped the Patriots to their first playoff look for the reason that departure of Brady. That leads me to consider that when the Patriots are on the clock subsequent Thursday — whether or not at 14 or elsewhere within the first spherical — positions comparable to offensive sort out and vast receiver are in play on the offensive facet of the soccer.

However this is a company that has gone off-script earlier than, and even in the course of the Brady years they regularly added on the quarterback place.

And if there may be any consider contained in the constructing — and let’s not overlook there was a lot written and mentioned this spring about supposed friction between Jones and Belichick — then the concept of how it’s higher to be early at discovering the following QB may lead New England down a slightly shocking path.

If I needed to place a guess on what the Patriots do in that spot, then both OT or WR can be the guess.

Now ask me if I’m going to position that guess, and also you may get a a lot totally different reply.

As a result of I’ve been mistaken about what the Patriots have completed within the draft many, many occasions earlier than.

And whereas I don’t suppose QB is in play for them within the first spherical, there’s a likelihood I might be mistaken once more. Slim, however nonetheless an opportunity.