Yahoo! Sports writer believes Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard has major NFL Draft potential

Could Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard be QB1 for the 2025 NFL Draft? It might seem like a long shot, but in an article published this week by former Wisconsin quarterback and Yahoo! Sports staff writer Nate Tice , Leonard was listed as his top quarterback in his 2025 NFL Draft big board .

Leonard is the No. 23 overall player on the list, and Tice notes that he’s “stretching a bit” with his Leonard projection but notes that the quarterback group isn’t “overwhelming.”

“I’m tabbing Leonard because of his size, traits and natural accuracy,” wrote Tice . “The Duke transfer has good arm strength, but wasn’t always asked to push the ball in the Blue Devils’ offense, which instead relied heavily on quick game concepts because of their woeful offensive line. Still, Leonard showed off accuracy and the ability to throw his players open on those plays, while also showing off solid feel in the pocket and the ability to mitigate sacks and negative plays.”

Tice adds that Leonard is a weapon in the open field and on designed runs and is in for a big season in South Bend.

“That athleticism and natural feel for playing the position is why Leonard can improve rapidly and ascend with more reps…especially in a more favorable situation in South Bend, with better talent and being in an offense that will let him drop back a bit deeper and push the ball further,” continued Tice. “It’s flashes and glimpses with Leonard, but those can be much brighter under a bigger spotlight in 2024.”

At No. 13 — ten spots ahead of Leonard on Tice’s list — is Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison .

“Morrison thrives in man coverage and pressing wide receivers,” wrote Tice . “He’s not just trying to jam them and overwhelm opponents with strength. Instead, Morrison is a technician at cornerback. He has the balance and quickness to stay sticky with wide receivers, where his tight footwork and technique are highlighted, even against bigger wide receivers, with his speed and burst allowing him to stay with routes that work away from him.

“The fact he’s already shown the ability to not only hold up with the tough task of playing as a man cornerback but to thrive in those situations speaks to his talent and the maturity with which he plays the position. His size, in terms of bulk, isn’t ideal, but he has a decent frame and wins via clean play anyways.”

Irish tight end Mitchell Evans was listed in the “next five” portion of Tice’s article .

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