2025 NFL Scouting Report: Riley Leonard

Prospect Summary:

Leonard started out his collegiate career at Duke and had a breakout season in 2022, where he completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,967 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. In 2023, Leonard completed 58 percent of his passes for 1,102 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also had four rushing touchdowns. Leonard missed a game with a leg injury suffered at the end of the loss to Notre Dame. He came back for two more games before exiting the lineup again. Leonard went out for the year in late October. After the season, he transferred to Notre Dame for his final collegiate season. With the Fighting Irish, Leonard completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,861 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He did a lot of damage on the ground with 17 rushing touchdowns.

For the NFL, Leonard has the skill set of a backup quarterback. On the plus side, Leonard has a strong arm that can zip passes into windows in the short to intermediate part of the field. He has enough arm to push the ball downfield and challenge defenses in all phases. At times, he flashes accuracy, but his accuracy and pocket passing are very inconsistent. Sometimes, he looks very uncomfortable throwing from the pocket with poor ball placement and field vision. Leonard can run and will pick up yards on the ground when the defenses leave it open. He is a physical downhill runner, but Leonard is not fast enough to run away from NFL defenders.

In the 2025 NFL Draft, Leonard could be a mid-round or day-three pick. Team sources say Leonard is a backup quality quarterback for the NFL, and a team would be happy if Leonard is their number 3 quarterback.