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The 2025 NFL Draft is just a couple of days away as the action will get underway on Thursday. This year's draft class is an interesting one as there is no clear #1 overall pick, and there is also a relatively weak quarterback class compared to previous years. One QB that is ready to go pro is Notre Dame football's Riley Leonard. Leonard helped the Fighting Irish get to the national title game last year, and he is now ready to hear his name called at the NFL Draft.
Riley Leonard finished his college football career with the Notre Dame football team, but he spent most of his career at Duke. Leonard played for the Blue Devils for three seasons before transferring to play for the Fighting Irish.
Leonard was a good QB during his college career, but there isn't a lot of hype surrounding him as he gets ready to go pro. He isn't going to be one of the first QBs selected, but there are some people at the NFL level who are expecting him to be a pleasant surprise.
“(Notre Dame’s) Riley Leonard,” one NFL offensive coordinator said regarding his sleeper QB pick, according to an article from The Athletic. “He’s the best one to develop. I think he has a lot to work with. He’s a great athlete. Really good basketball player. Smart. Really tough.”
One thing that we saw from Leonard last year in the national title game was his toughness. He put the team on his back on the Fighting Irish's opening drive, and he found his way into the end zone to start the game strong. He is as tough as they come, and that should go a long way for him.
“I don’t know if Leonard gets enough credit for his toughness,” one NFL scouting director said. “I thought he did such a good job of getting his team as far as he got them, and at the combine, he looked confident and comfortable out there playing quarterback.”
Riley Leonard finished last season 269-403 through the air for 2,861 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He completed passes at a 66.7% rate.
It's going to be interesting to see how this year's QB draft class shakes out when the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around on Thursday. There are a lot of talented players, but there isn't a clear order in which they will be drafted. There will be a good amount of talent that comes off the board before Leonard, but he does still have a bright future.
