- Leonard’s legs should provide immediate value in the NFL: The Notre Dame product’s 82.8 PFF rushing grade this past season ranked third among draft-eligible quarterbacks. He could immediately become one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL.
- Consistency will be the primary area of improvement: Whether it’s accuracy or staying calm in the pocket, Leonard will have to up his consistency to be a solid NFL starter.
Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
2024 PFF Grades and Stats (Rank out of 56 Draft-Eligible QBs)
| PFF Overall Grade | 83.5 (16th) |
| Big-Time Throw % | 4.1% (23rd) |
| Turnover-Worthy Play % | 2.0% (11th) |
| Adjusted Completion % | 78.2% (7th) |
| Pressure-to-Sack Rate | 12.4% (4th) |
| PFF Clean Pocket Grade | 89.0 (16th) |
| PFF Under Pressure Grade | 44.6 (38th) |
Background
Riley Leonard is a 22-year-old, 6-foot-4 and 216-pound quarterback out of Notre Dame. He spent his first three college seasons at Duke, where started 21 games before transferring to Notre Dame. Leonard then led Notre Dame to 14 wins and an appearance in the national championship game in 2024.
Strengths
Athleticism
Leonard possesses exceptional athleticism and will immediately become one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL. His 82.8 PFF rushing grade this past season ranked third among draft-eligible quarterbacks, and his 611 yards on designed runs were the sixth most.
Notre Dame’s run game relied on Leonard to be efficient with his carries, and he tallied the fourth-most rushing first downs among all quarterbacks. He is a strong, powerful runner with the mindset that he can overpower any defender. His rushing ability is an immediate pathway to him finding some early success in the NFL.
Limits negative plays
Leonard makes sound decisions, minimizing turnovers, sacks and other negative outcomes. He excels at keeping his offense in manageable situations, due in part to his ability to avoid forcing the ball into tight windows and escape pressure with his legs. He boasted the 16th-best turnover-worthy play rate and the 22nd-best pressure-to-sack ratio in the FBS in 2024. Limiting negative plays was crucial to Notre Dame’s success, and Leonard was the driving force.
Weaknesses
Consistency
Leonard’s play can be frustrating to watch due to inconsistency. While he’s capable of making high-level plays and shows flashes of a strong mental game, such as efficiently working to the backside of his progressions, he also struggles to read out a play and resorts to scrambling or hitting his check-down top early.
That inconsistency isn’t just evident in the mental side of his game. His accuracy can come and go throughout a game. His overall accuracy rate in 2024 was 64.9%, the ninth-best clip in the draft class. But his uncatchable throw rate on passes targeted 10-19 yards downfield was the seventh highest in the draft class. He currently lacks consistency when forced to throw farther downfield.
Pocket presence
Leonard tends to struggle to stay calm in the pocket. He likes to leave the pocket early, bailing before the play can fully develop. He does have some reasons for being a little skittish in the pocket, as the Notre Dame offensive line struggled at times this season, finishing with a 67.9 team PFF pass-blocking grade that ranked 66th in college football.
However, when he does stay in the pocket and tries to deliver under pressure, his mechanics can become sloppy. Leonard’s lower half doesn’t stay consistent enough for him to throw accurately, leading to a 35.1% uncatchable rate when under pressure this past season.
Summary
Riley Leonard is an extremely athletic quarterback who can become a real run-game threat in the NFL. He makes sound decisions, which limits turnovers and sacks among other negative plays. He displays moments of high-level play that suggest he has the potential to be a successful NFL quarterback. However, he struggles with consistency and his accuracy can suffer, particularly under pressure. When pressured, he can get skittish and abandon clean pockets. He’ll need to up his consistency at the next level; if he does, he could be a decent starter.
Draft Grade: Fourth or fifth round
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