Riley Leonard NFL Draft 2025: Scouting Report for Notre Dame QB
HEIGHT: 6'4"
WEIGHT: 216
POSITIVES
— Good athleticism and mobility to expand the playbook with designed QB runs.
— Arm talent to drive the football between the hashes into the middle of the field.
— Deep passes are catchable and thrown with good timing, touch, and ball placement.
— Throws with good touch to layer passes over underneath defenders against zone coverages.
NEGATIVES
— Inconsistent lower body mechanics negatively impacts his accuracy.
— Decision-making when pressure gets home, tries to throw out of sacks.
— Inconsistent ball placement and accuracy in short and intermediate areas of the field.
NOTES
— Born Sept. 13, 2002
— 3-Star recruit in 2021 class, per 247Sports
— 2024: Comeback Player of the Year Award Semifinalist
— 2022 Military Bowl MVP; Honorable Mention All-ACC selection
OVERALL
Riley Leonard is a well-experienced and cool operator under center.
Leonard plays with a calmness that NFL coaches should appreciate. He does not appear to get too high or too low, no matter how the game progresses. He is in full command of the offense at the LOS to make audibles/play changes and set the protection based on the pre-snap defensive look.
He is a plus-level and dual-threat athlete. Leonard can climb and navigate the pocket to avoid the pass rush, managing the defense's pressure. If the pass rushers lack discipline and rush outside their lanes, he will escape, keeping his eyes down the field but ultimately taking off for as many yards as allowed. Leonard's athleticism should be weaponized in the red zone by extending the playbook for designed QB runs; like QB power, sweep, draw, and counter. He does well-creating second-reaction passing opportunities with his legs and athleticism.
Leonard is a good passer from the pocket when in rhythm with proper mechanics. His effectiveness in the short and intermediate areas of the field is impressive. Leonard throws with good anticipation of windows/lane availability. He targets the middle of the field with a nice touch to layer passes over the head of underneath coverage defenders at the second level. He has high-level accurate throws inside the hashes and against zone defenses. Leonard throws a pretty deep ball with outstanding touch and placement down the field. He can place passes over the correct shoulder to play keep away with the coverage defender. He flashes the ability to throw his receiver open against tight man coverage.
Consistency with lower body mechanics is one of the biggest concerns with Leonard's game. He rarely takes snaps under center and his shotgun footwork can be erratic. Furthermore, his dropback can be slower than desired with a heel-clicking tendency—leading to inconsistencies with accuracy. Decision-making when pressure breaks through the offensive line needs to improve. He tries to throw out of sacks instead of taking the loss and not placing the ball in harm's way. Consistency will go a long way for Leonard's NFL future.
In conclusion, Riley Leonard is a talented dual-threat functional quarterback prospect. His game is similar to that of Ryan Tannehill, who had multiple successful seasons. His running ability raises his floor to match his passing upside.
GRADE: 7.4 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter — 3rd Round)
OVERALL RANK: 66
POSITION RANK: QB5
PRO COMPARISON: Shades of Ryan Tannehill
Written by B/R NFL Scout Dame Parson
Prospect workout numbers, measurables (40-yard dash, hand size, etc.) and 2024 statistics will be added at a later date.
