Riley Leonard landing spots: Possible fits that make sense for Notre Dame QB during 2025 NFL Draft

After helping wake up the echoes in South Bend, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard will now try to carve out a successful career in the NFL. That journey will begin during the 2025 NFL Draft, which will kick off Thursday night from Green Bay. 

The 6-foot-4, 216-pound Leonard improved his draft stock during his final season in college. After three seasons at Duke, Leonard capped off his college career by leading the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff National Championship. Leonard played well throughout Notre Dame’s four-game playoff run, scoring eight total touchdowns and completing nearly 68.2% of his passes. 

Against Georgia in the CFP quarterfinal, Leonard went 15 of 24 through the air that included a touchdown pass. But he was even more effective on the ground with 80 yards on 14 carries. In the CFP championship game, Leonard went 22 of 31 for 255 yards and two touchdowns. He started the game with a short touchdown run that gave the Fighting Irish an early lead though they ultimately lost 34-23 to Ohio State. 

When looking at the draft, Leonard is CBS Sports’ 10th-ranked quarterback prospect, just behind Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and right in front of Missouri’s Brady Cook. Leonard is expected to be a Day 3 pick, more specifically in either the fourth or fifth round. 

Here are several teams that could be possible landing spots for Leonard. 

Sean McVay has a history of signing successful college quarterbacks who leaned on their mobility to win games at that level. In Los Angeles, Leonard would likely compete with former Georgia QB Stetson Bennett, who has a similar skill set. This landing spot makes sense unless the Rams select a QB much earlier in the draft. 

The Steelers have two more quarterback spots to fill between now and the start of training camp. At this point, Aaron Rodgers remains unsigned, but regardless of Rodgers, the Steelers are expected to acquire a quarterback during the draft. Leonard would seem to be a nice fit inside Arthur Smith’s run-first offense. 

But like the Rams, this landing spot is contingent upon the Steelers prioritizing other positions during the instead of taking a quarterback early in the draft. 

Like Pittsburgh, Baltimore employs a run-first attack that includes a heavy dose of running from two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson. The Ravens did recently sign Cooper Rush, but Leonard would give them a more mobile option from a backup standpoint. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that Ravens OC Todd Monken would create some packages for Leonard if Baltimore drafts him. 

Caleb Williams is the man in Chicago, but new Bears head coach Ben Johnson may decide to spend a Day 3 pick adding to his QB room. The Bears have decent depth at QB (Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum are the current backups) but Leonard’s mobility would add something the room if Chicago were to draft him. 

This makes sense from a schematic standpoint, as Leonard’s mobility is similar to reigning league MVP Josh Allen. Buffalo has a solid backup in Mitch Trubisky, so Leonard would be in a good situation as far as getting the chance to learn from two older quarterbacks.