I’m likely going to be one of the higher people on Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard. There is a lot to like and tools to work with for a Day 2 dart throw on draft night.
Leonard has good size and is an excellent athlete who is a weapon on designed runs and in the open field. He has a good feel in the pocket (but can bail outside a bit too quickly at times) with an ability to mitigate sacks and pressure, something he has now shown behind two shaky offensive lines at Duke and then behind a — forgive the pun — green Notre Dame unit.
Leonard is an accurate thrower underneath with some real flashes of layering throws (and some downright excellent throws like at the end of the game against Indiana in the CFP), but his deep ball remains a gigantic question mark. Some of that was Notre Dame’s iffy receiving core, but Leonard did shy away from pushing the ball at times.
Leonard’s tools, toughness and ability to avoid negative plays make him intriguing, and his overall passing has picked up as the season went along as Notre Dame’s offense — and personnel — started to mature. But he still has to show that he can execute those complex throws on a more consistent basis, which might never happen and will make him more just an interesting backup option.
It’s not the worst bet to make on such a competitive player with this much athleticism. He shows more feel for the position than he gets credit for, and he could turn into a starter down the road.
