The Tennessee Titans had an exciting young QB in the fold this time last year. He had draft hype and pedigree. The front office put weapons and help around him with big swings in the offseason. But this time feels different, right? The anticipation for Cam Ward doesn’t seem to particularly resemble the anticipation for Will Levis. Why is that?
Well obviously, things are just a bit different for you when you’re the first overall pick in the entire draft. But with Cam, the defining factor is the mental skillset he’s bringing to his new team. Above all the physical talent and the college production, above even his natural gift for pocket management and ability to make magic extending plays, is his mind. When you talk to people who know Cam or have done the digging in studying him, it’s all they talk about.
The most recent example of this comes courtesy of ESPN, where analyst Louis Riddick cut loose on his love for the Titans new franchise QB last week:
“I think the thing that you are going to see with Cam Ward as the season goes on and his career progresses, is that this guy is a football savant when it comes to being able to digest large amounts of information and really play at a high level in terms of football IQ.”
Will Levis is an astonishingly gifted QB in many ways. His size, his arm, what he brings as an athlete, and even his grinder mentality are big pluses on his write up. The past two seasons in the NFL haven’t changed that, and it’s why I won’t be surprised at all if he puts it all together one day a-la Geno Smith or Sam Darnold.
But in order for that to happen, he’s going to have to find a way to see the game more quickly. His biggest flaw is his ability to be on-time mentally, and remain clear and composed when things break down. That’s something you can improve with reps and time, but some guys just have it and some just don’t. And with Cam, if he fails in the NFL, it feels like a very safe bet that it won’t be because of that element of his game. It’s probably his greatest strength.
Riddick continued to heap praise in the clip, saying “I love the kid, absolutely love him, and he is a stone cold killer of a leader. And I think that’s exactly what Tennessee needed.” It’s what Tennessee thinks they have too. And Lord knows it’s certainly what they’ve needed.
