Former Syracuse QB Eric Dungey vs. 2023 Blue Chip Prospect Will Levis – An Interesting Thought Experiment
By Ted Kluck
Former standout Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey, still only 26 years old[1], is currently languishing on the roster of the XFL’s D.C. Defenders, and is seeing the field only as an H-Back/special teamer. This is the same Dungey that engineered signature wins over ranked opponents such as Clemson and Virginia Tech, without the luxury of playing with much (any?) NFL talent, in a small program where it’s nearly impossible to recruit. He left the program as its all-time leading passer, and joined Don McPherson and Donovan McNabb[2] as one of the most important quarterbacks in the history of the program.
Dungey was a chippy, courageous, and electrifying runner, beloved by teammates, coaches and fans alike, though he went undrafted and has bounced around various NFL practice squads and (now) the XFL.
Meanwhile Will Levis, first of Penn State and later of Kentucky, has a very similar college resume. Both are big, strong players with a modicum of athleticism (though limited), some accuracy concerns, some throwing-mechanics issues, some injury issues, and running ability/production. Yet Levis is projected as a top-ten pick in this year’s draft and Dungey will probably never see an NFL field again. My question is why did the industry fall madly in love with Levis and pretty hastily disregard Dungey, who wasn’t even invited to the NFL Scouting Combine?
I’m taking a deeper look at both players via film and statistical production to try and ascertain why it is that the industry sees one player as a blue-chip prospect, and another player (with seemingly identical attributes and better production) as an afterthought.
Height/Weight/Athleticism
Will Levis
6’4” 229 lbs.
Vertical Jump: 34” (NFL Combine)
Broad Jump: 10’4”
40 YD: (TBD – will run at Pro Day?)
Eric Dungey
6’3” 226 lbs. (or 6’4” depending on where you look)
40 yard dash: 4.68 (Pro Day)
Vertical Jump: 31.5
Broad Jump: 9’6”
As you can see, the two players are similar in terms of build and measurables. Levis probably has the edge here, but it’s very slight. I would be shocked if Levis runs much faster than 4.7 in his 40yd.
College Production
Will Levis
TD/INT: 46/25
Comp Pct: 64.9%
Yards: 5,876
Yards per Attempt: 8.0
Starts: 14
Rushing: 312 attempts for 743 yards and 17 TDs
Eric Dungey
TD/INT: 58/30
Comp Pct: 61.5%
Yards: 9,340
Yards per Attempt: 7.3
Starts: 38
Rushing: 543 attempts for 1,993 yards and 35 TDs
Note: College rushing statistics, for quarterbacks, are a bit misleading in the sense that sacks are held against the final rushing number. But film study (more below) spoke volumes about the types of runners we’re looking at.
Their numbers are, obviously, really similar. Scheme and program have to be taken into account here, as Levis was probably doing more pro-style things (with more pro-style players) in his offense at Kentucky (he was under center a lot for a college QB) and Dungey was running for his life in whatever iteration of the Air Raid Syracuse was employing from year to year. Dungey has 14 more college starts on his resume, which is significant to me.
Film Study: This is Where It Gets Interesting
In one of my earlier pieces I mistakenly (lazily?) compared Levis’s rushing ability/style to that of Tim Tebow, which really ended up being a disservice to Tebow, who while similar of build and ruggedness, was a much more dynamic runner than Levis. A more accurate comp for Levis is actually Jake Locker – a conclusion I arrived at eventually (after the initial Tebow mistake).
But let’s start with Dungey: I re-watched his 2017 film vs. a #2 ranked Clemson defense that was laden with NFL talent like Dexter Lawrence, Christian Wilkins, Isaiah Simmons and Clelin Ferrell. To say that Dungey was running for his life on nearly every snap would be to understate it. And for some reason, Syracuse had him in “empty” for most of the game, throwing long-developing downfield stuff. It was a recipe for getting Dungey killed. Dungey’s best offensive weapons were RB Moe Neal and WR Erv Phillips (who also deserved a more significant NFL look).
And yet…he engineered a masterpiece, leading Syracuse to victory in a game they absolutely should have lost. He tossed 3 TD passes (against 0 interceptions) and completed at a rate of 61%. Some of his incompletions were smart throwaways due to his receivers being blanketed and the pass rush being on him the second he reached the top of his drop. Some of his completions were screens, which weren’t layups given the ferocity of the Clemson rush. He throw a pretty shockingly effective intermediate-to-deep ball, showing an ability to feather the ball in behind linebackers. The running was creative, timely, and effective in the way that good runners just seem to have an innate sense of when and where to go.
Dungey’s pocket escapability and decision-making were noticeable as well. He had a rusher in his face almost immediately on every play (usually Wilkins) and often made the first rusher miss. Aforementioned, he threw the ball away on several occasions rather than forcing it into coverage or taking sacks. His footwork and base remained pretty sound even when working out of structure (which was always). By way of a knock, his throwing (not always, but against Clemson) was a little one-note. He seemed to always be feathering the ball, even on throws where he needed to drive it. This could have been a function of the rush.
He drove the football much more effectively in 2018. He could throw and complete the out from the opposite hash, and was accurate on the intermediate stuff. His ability to drop in the Cover 2 hole shot and throw deep with touch were, frankly, impeccable. In 2018 he posted a 200 yard rushing performance against Western Michigan, in addition to 119 (Uconn), 70 (Wake Forest) and 77 (Pitt). Levis, by comparison (and in his defense he was banged-up), rushed for positive yards in only three 2022 outings, never rushing for more than 26 yards in a game. Again, he was banged up (and his offensive line was a lot worse), but the brakes need to be pumped significantly on the “Will Levis is a run threat” discussion. I think he’ll be a run threat in the way that early-career Roethlisberger could escape the pocket and move the chains…but that’s it.
I watched the best rushing game of Levis’s career, for comparison’s sake – 2021 vs. Louisville. He was impressive executing the designed runs behind an elite (in ’21) offensive line. But where I was really impressed with 2021 Levis was as a thrower of the football. When his receivers were open he ripped the ball in with confidence. He definitely seemed to possess a fastball that Dungey doesn’t/didn’t.
So perhaps that’s enough to separate the two in the hearts and minds of scouts? Or perhaps it was Dungey’s injury history that ultimately stood in the way of a legitimate NFL shot? We’ll never know. However, I do wonder why we’re so quick to buy the initial narrative on an athlete. A deeper read of the Dungey/Levis comparison showed me an athlete, in Dungey, who didn’t look qualitatively different than Levis – and was in some areas better. One will be a multimillionaire soon, and the other will continue to toil in relative obscurity.
Though for a quarterback-needy team, Levis comes with the risk of a first-round pick – a GM’s career will hang in the balance.
Dungey comes only with the cost of a tryout.
[1] For comparison’s sake, Hendon Hooker, a 2023 quarterback prospect out of Tennessee, is 25. Levis is 23.
[2] It’s apples-to-oranges, era-wise, but McNabb passed for a far lower completion percentage and rushed for way fewer yards and touchdowns, than Dungey. But, like Dungey, he knew when and how to run and had an innate creativity at the position which creativity statistics often don’t do justice to.