‘Surreal’ circumstances for QB epitomize waiting game for all 2023 NFL Draft prospects

Standing on the Central High football field on Wednesday among 17 prospects invited to the 2023 NFL Draft in anticipation of their selection in the first round on Thursday at Union Station, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis was struck by the bizarre elements swirling around him.

On the eve of one of the most momentous events of his life, here was NFL commissioner Roger Goodell shaking his hand and insisting Levis call him “Roger” instead of Mr. Goodell.

“So I’m on a first-name basis with the commissioner,” he said, smiling.

That made it all the more “surreal” that all the years of watching Goodell on TV during the draft likely will culminate with shaking his hand in that very scene Thursday night.

“If you would have told me this as a little kid, I would have been ecstatic and probably wouldn’t believe you,” said Levis, speaking amid a community service event and Play Football clinic.

Stranger yet: A Tuesday post on Reddit from an anonymous account with the username SaleAgreeable2834 created a surge of speculation by suggesting Levis had been “telling friends and family Carolina will in fact take him on Thursday. You’re welcome.”

Within an hour, per USA Today, the odds of Levis being made the overall No. 1 pick by the Panthers went from 40-1 to 4-1 at sportsbooks such as DraftKings and Caesars.

“It’s just funny how people could be winning or losing money based on what happens to me, you know? It’s kind of crazy,” said Levis, who said his betting tip is … “to not bet. … Your guess is as good as mine.”

As for the Reddit post, he repeatedly said “don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.” But perhaps tellingly and perhaps not, in this shadowy time when subterfuge rules the day, he didn’t explicitly deny it through 25 minutes of interviews with news outlets across the nation.

Welcome to a snapshot of the final countdown for these marquee players who’ve waited for years for this possibility but went to bed Wednesday night as the objects of mass speculation and with scant clarity about where they’ll be living next week.

Levis is both his own unique story and one that epitomizes this stage, particularly for the 17 here in town.

“These are the only dudes in the world who know what’s going through our minds,” he said, noting all the scrutiny and “question marks” and, now, the waiting game they all share.

While the last few months of auditioning on campus, at the NFL Combine and through visiting various teams has been stressful, now he’s just excited about the resolution of the draft … as are millions of NFL fans, including the 100,000-plus who will be in Kansas City.

“That’s the essence of it. The uncertainty behind it all is what makes it so magical,” Levis said. “People don’t know where we’re going. We don’t know where we’re going. … That’s why there’s so much attention on it. That’s why people love it. And that’s why the NFL is king.”

Barring an unforeseen twist, it will make for a night to celebrate befitting his mother’s weeks of agonizing over what to wear — “It’s more of her night, I think, than mine,” he said — and his appreciation of all who helped get him here.

That includes his beloved late grandfather, David Kelley, who taught him his “never give up” mantra and whose spirit he feels with him on this part of the journey.

But after all the probing and poking and prodding of the NFL the last few months, the more literal part of the journey remains a mystery for Levis and virtually all of the other attendees on the cusp of realizing the next step of their dreams …

Without yet being able to put a uniform to how it all looks.

Much as he might hope to be selected No. 1 overall by Carolina — “your name goes down in history,” he said — Alabama quarterback Bryce Young appears the most likely choice.

Houston, where he made his first visit even before Pro Day events on campus, picks second. Some forecast him being chosen then by the Texans, and others project them taking him with the No. 12 selection. He’d love to play there, he said, and Houston’s a great city

But he could say the same about Indianapolis, which picks fourth and where he had “one of my favorite visits” … and loved “everybody” he met with there.

He’d also love to play for Tennessee, which picks 11th and is coached by Mike Vrabel — the type of coach you’d “go to war for,” he said, and who played for his favorite childhood team: New England.

Speaking of which, Levis last week visited the Patriots, who have the 14th overall pick. No doubt that would be its own sort of thrill for the Connecticut native.

To say nothing of other possibilities that leave Levis with what he called “no inkling” where he might end up … though it’s safe to say it’s not likely that it will be the Patrick Mahomes-quarterbacked host city.

“This is the hotbed of NFL football right now …” he said. “So what a great year to have the draft here with the recent success that they’ve had. People look at the Chiefs and their success over the last few years (as what every other team is trying to) emulate.”

In the final 24 hours or so before he likely learns where he’ll get his chance, Levis planned to go to dinner with about 30 family members at an undisclosed location where they had the presence of mind to make a reservation about a year ago, just in case.

Then he expected a relatively restful night of sleep before a whole lot of waiting — including a red carpet arrival at 4 p.m. into the main event at 7.

Still, when people ask him if he’s ready for this to be over with, he responds with just the opposite.

“I’m ready for it to get started …” he said, later adding, “I’ll end up wherever I’m meant to end up, and that wait is going to be worth it regardless.”