From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard.
#13 Riley Leonard/QB Notre Dame – 6033, 210 pounds (Senior)
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Riley Leonard | 6033/210 | 9 1/4 | 32 1/2 | 77 1/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
– Impressive overall athletic ability
– Good footwork in the pocket
– Impressive sack avoidance
– Quickly moves through progressions and gets the ball out on time
– Excellent rushing ability
– High motor and an incredible competitor; tough athlete who has extreme will to win
– Quick release
– Decent arm strength
– High IQ is shown by setting protection
– Good accuracy outside numbers and good accuracy on routes coming back to him
– Throws slants with beautiful accuracy
– Throws with good anticipation outside numbers
– Understands defenses and reads well pre-snap; reads high-low concepts well
– Great scrambling ability, looks to run
– Takes what defense gives him
– Effective pump fake
– Shows flashes of accuracy down the field and while under pressure
– Shows some flashes of throwing receivers open
– Adjusts arm angle to make acrobatic throws
– Gives good YAC opportunities
– Consistent clutch gene in must-win situations
The Bad
– He is overall inconsistent pushing the ball downfield and attacking down the middle of the field
– Can panic under pressure and bail out of pockets quickly
– Can throw wild under pressure while throwing off platform
– Hardly looks to throw downfield when scrambling
– Hardly pushes the ball downfield unless it is needed or wide open
– Takes hard hits that can lead to injury
– Feet not being set leads to bad accuracy and can become turnovers
– Elbow can drop leading to sailing passes
– Struggles to adjust to defenses changing post-snap
– Needs to throw with better anticipation on middle-of-field reads in five-step concepts
– Can panic against elite defenses; sometimes seems like the game moves too fast for him
Bio
– Started in 37 games across four years in college
– Transferred from Duke to Notre Dame after his junior season
– Started all 16 games for Notre Dame in 2024
– Led his team to the 2024 national championship game
– 2024 stats: 2,861 yards on 66.7-percent completion rate, 21 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and rushed for 906 yards and 17 touchdowns
– Semifinalist for the 2024 Comeback Player of the Year Award
– Competed in the 2025 Senior Bowl
– Across 21 starts at Duke he threw for 4,450 yards on 60.4-percent completion rate, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while rushing for 1,224 yards and 19 touchdowns
– In 2023, Leonard suffered a high-ankle sprain against Notre Dame and was carried off the field. This caused him to miss one game
– Later that year, he injured a toe on his left foot, which required surgery and ended his 2023 season
– Three-star prospect out of Fairhope High School, where he lettered four years
– Rated the No. 18 prospect in Alabama by Rivals.com
– Named Alabama Class 7A Player of the Year
– Star HS basketball player, and he was named two-time basketball AL.com Edward Jones Coastal Male Athlete of the Year in 2020 and 2021
– Devout Christian and returned to his hometown in the summer of 2024 to host a youth camp; donated the proceeds to his grandfather’s charity.
Tape Breakdown
Riley Leonard’s long college career was marked by his high motor and constant drive to win games. You can see right off the bat that he is the ultimate competitor and has the toughness to win big games. His clutch play and toughness come through in the biggest moments, whether that is making an out-of-structure throw to set up his team for a field goal to go to the national championship game or running through someone to get into the end zone on his ninth carry of a drive.
The first thing that jumps out when watching Leonard is how quickly he gets through progressions. He is a high-IQ player who understands what will be open and how to move off that immediately when it is covered. Pairing that with his good foot and pocket movement gives him time to go through his reads quickly and the opportunity to see if he can scramble. In this play against Indiana, he gets through his reads quickly, sees an opening, and takes off for a first down.
The other glowing part of Leonard’s game is his rushing ability. He is not the fastest or shiftiest runner, but he runs downhill and is not afraid of contact. That can sometimes be a negative as he takes a lot of hard hits. Overall, he runs like Josh Allen. It does not look pretty, but he rushes with great success, and no one wants to see him in the open field. He has the vision to be used in the quarterback run game consistently and that will be a primary part of his NFL career. Overall, Leonard shows flashes of good accuracy but overall is inconsistent.
I like his timing, confidence, and accuracy throwing outside the numbers and am constantly impressed with his accuracy when throwing slants. But he struggles throwing deep digs consistently, like on this play against Ohio State.
These are throws quarterbacks must make consistently to be successful in the NFL. While not great at throwing to the middle of the field intermediately, Leonard shows the same inconsistency throwing down the field. At some points, he looks confident and delivers a great ball, but those are flashes rather than the norm. Here is an example of what it looks like when he delivers the ball with confidence.
That is a high-level NFL throw. Leonard just needs to do it more consistently. In some instances, he can chuck the ball downfield and not give his receiver any chance, which happens more often than the good parts.
The same concerns I have about his accuracy can be said for his performance under pressure. Leonard has some plays where he looks confident and throws it beautifully with defenders in his face, but he is inconsistent overall when throwing under pressure. He can bail out of the pocket too quickly, does not throw well on the run, and can throw wild when his feet are not set. He shows great flashes of being able to deliver a ball downfield, but the norm is he panics, and the game can speed up for him against elite defenses.
Another thing I would like to see Leonard improve is his willingness to push the ball downfield and take risks, rather than always take what the defense gives him.
Conclusion
Overall, I like a lot of Riley Leonard’s game, including his competitiveness, quickness getting through his progressions, rushing ability, and his clutch gene, but I have some concerns as well. His accuracy needs to become consistent at all three levels and he needs to settle down under pressure.
If he improves these parts of his game, I think he can be a plus player at the next level. I think coaches will fall in love with the competitor and high-integrity person and believe there is room for improvement. My player comp is Josh Dobbs.
Projection: Early Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 7.6 – Third Round (Potential Starter, Good Backup)
Games Watched: at Texas A&M (2024), vs Indiana (2024), vs Georgia (2024), vs Penn State (2024), vs Ohio State (2024)
