The Notre Dame football team might have had to sit out the first day of the 2025 NFL Draft, but they’ve been busy on Friday and especially Saturday. Riley Leonard has officially become the sixth Fighting Irish star to be selected since the first round ended and the fourth to be taken on Saturday.
It also happens that Leonard might be going to one of those teams that is a surprisingly good fit for him. As the No. 189 pick in the 6th round, the former Irish quarterback is going to a team that loved what they saw when they came to watch him at Notre Dame’s pro day.
Riley Leonard joins Colts as sixth Notre Dame star drafted in 2025
Leonard is also someone who is going to the Indianapolis Colts who have a talented starter in place, but the ground underneath Anthony Richardson is not super solid. He was benched last year and it’s been clear the Colts aren’t thrilled with him for one reason or another. So there’s room for the former Notre Dame football star to move in.
Riley Leonard is a Colt
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 26, 2025
With the 189th overall pick in the 6th round, the @Colts select @rileyleonard13_ , quarterback, Notre Dame.#NFLDraft | #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/bVtPxlKMKD
Leonard reportedly worked out in front of new head coach Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard and according to Jordan Schultz, they are both “huge fans.”
One has to wonder if perhaps, they see the dual-threat QB eventually getting a real shot at quarterback, considering the other signal caller in that room is former Giants' star Daniel Jones. That of course, is an interesting twist in his own right.
Much like Jones, Leonard was at one time, the quarterback for the Duke Blue Devils. However, while Jones finished out his college football career in Durham, Riley decided he wanted to compete for a national title and moved to South Bend for his final season.
That move ended up absolutely being the right call. Not only did he throw for 2,861 and 21 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions, but he also ran for a career-high 906 yards and 17 touchdowns. And of course, he led the Notre Dame football team to the National Championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.