Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay admitted that if Anthony Richardson weren’t available, the team would have likely used the No. 4 selection on another highly-touted quarterback quarterback.
In an all-time draft shocker, Kentucky’s Will Levis went undrafted in round one. Many projected him to be a top-five or 10 selection, but the ex-Wildcats star slipped down to the Tennessee Titans in round two at No. 33 overall.
But if Richardson had been taken with a top-three selection? Levis would have gone much, much earlier.
“I think we would have taken Will Levis,” Irsay said, per Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star. “We liked him.”
Before round two started on Friday, Irsay created a buzz on Twitter when he hinted at the idea of the Colts taking Levis.
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The Carolina Panthers, who acquired the first overall pick from the Chicago Bears, used the top selection on Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. The Houston Texans used the No. 2 pick on another QB in Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, before trading up via the Arizona Cardinals for Crimson Tide outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr.
The Colts have used a different Week 1 starting quarterback every year dating back to 2017. They took a chance on 2016 league MVP and ex-Atlanta Falcons star Matt Ryan, but the 37-year-old struggled in his new home and was released in the offseason.
Indianapolis can now only hope that the former Gators star will be able to rejuvenate a franchise that has been mired in mediocrity over the past half decade. The Colts have just two playoff appearances and one postseason win since 2018.
