Will Levis, Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen Played Golf Before NFL Draft; Did Those 9 Holes Cost Levis The #4 Pick?

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Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen took NFL Draft prospect Will Levis out to the golf course for a quick nine holes prior to the draft, according to NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah.

One of my closest friends, Rob, got married last weekend. Rob, along with best man James, are part of my usual weekend foursome on the golf course. During his best man speech, James delivered words of wisdom: "You learn a lot about someone by playing golf with them."

Perhaps Steichen feels the same way.

Will Levis during Round One of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Indianapolis Colts passed on Levis, electing to draft Anthony Richardson instead.

Will Levis during Round One of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Indianapolis Colts passed on Levis, electing to draft Anthony Richardson instead. (Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Jeremiah, appearing with Pat McAfee, said that the head coach played a quick round with Levis in Indianapolis. This seemed, at the time, like a good sign the coach and team liked him.

However, the Colts passed on the Kentucky quarterback at #4 and instead took Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. Levis fell into the second round, eventually selected by the Tennessee Titans.

McAfee raises a good point: what happened on that golf course? Of course, golf could have played zero role in Indianapolis' decision to not draft Levis. That's most likely.

But it's more fun to assume that it changed the head coach's mind.

Maybe Levis duck-hooked one into the woods and snapped his club. I've seen that happen. More than once.

Maybe Steichen smoked Levis and thought "this guy doesn't have the competitive juices to be a franchise quarterback."

Or, the opposite: Levis crushed Steichen who doesn't want a quarterback who rolls him on the golf course.

We probably won't ever know exactly what happened on the links that day.

What we do know is that Will Levis played golf with Colts head coach Shane Steichen and the team elected not to pick the former Kentucky quarterback.

Do with that information what you will.

I'm going to assume Levis went from four to "FORE!" after a tough day on the course.

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.