28 April 2023 , 22:18
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Will Levis has reportedly decided not to attend the second round of the NFL Draft in Kansas City on Friday night.
Coming into the first round, Levis was highly expected to be taken within the top five picks after performing well in his last two seasons in college However, after the Indianapolis Colts passed on him with the fourth pick to instead take Anthony Richardson, Levis began to slide down the board.
But no-one would have expected him to drop out of the first round entirely, as he was forced to sit and wait in the green room to hear his name not get called for over four hours.
The camera had panned to him a reported 27 times - something he admitted he had feared heading into the first round. And in order to avoid any further humiliation, Levis has reportedly taken the decision to not return to the green room on the second night of the draft.
Nick Roush from Kentucky Sports Radio, where he played in college, has stated that Levis will not attend, and will instead spend the night elsewhere. It is not yet clear whether he will watch on in Kansas City, or return home to Newton, Massachusetts.
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However, a film crew is expected to be in attendance - a usual occurrence for the top draft prospects on day two of the draft.
Levis is expected to be selected early in the second round though, with the New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons all reportedly interested in trading up to acquire him.
Will Levis waits to be drafted in the green room backstageThe Titans and Patriots did hold visits with Levis, and were rumoured to be selecting him in the first round before opting against it.
Levis had been rumoured to be in contention to go second overall, but the Houston Texans instead took Ohio State's CJ Stroud, after the Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young from Alabama with the top pick.
Levis had been described as the most 'pro-ready' quarterback in the class, after thriving in 2021 when playing under Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
The quarterback may regret not declaring for the draft after that season, in a poor quarterback class in 2021 that only saw Kenny Pickett drafted in the first round. The second round of the NFL draft gets underway at midnight, with teams having seven minutes to pick in round two and five minutes in round three.