Notre Dame’s star QB, Riley Leonard, had a brilliant season with the Fighting Irish last season. He finished with 2,861 yards, 21 touchdowns, and a 66.7 pass completion rate. Now looking to go pro, Leonard is in the circles of top picks in the draft. He won’t be a first-round pick, but he is of immense value to his destined team, nevertheless. However, there is one key issue with the star quarterback that scouts and coaches will be wary of. They might play a role in his draft prospects, which seem to grow less hopeful with time.

Not many college football players have stats like those of Leonard, especially after transferring in his last eligible season. He’d easily make for a great running quarterback, given his excellent athleticism. Leonard makes some great short throws as well and can come out of pressure situations quickly. He has everything you want in a quarterback, especially one that you can chisel into greater strengths with training. He finished 2024 with just 2 losses: the 2nd game with Northern Illinois and the National Championship game against Ohio State. Analysts and experts have raved about how promising he looked for the big league.

However, there is one glaring problem that comes to light. Scott Fisher says in an April 5 video that the QB is still struggling with arm strength. “It’s better to be older and smaller than to have a weak arm,” he said. “He’s one of the most athletic quarterbacks in this class behind Milroe, as Leonard had nearly 900 yards and 17 touchdowns while also throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns, but he could have thrown for more if his arm wasn’t weaker.” This factor limits Leonard at short distances. Beyond a certain range, that arm weakness shows. “He has great accuracy on shorter throws and thrives in a West Coast style system, and this allows him to make quick short reads and let his receivers do the rest of the work.” Any team would ideally go for a quarterback who can throw excellently from all distances.

That arm, when combined with other aspects of Leonard, spells trouble for him in the draft. Fisher noted, “Poor lower half mechanics and a pretty weak arm means he doesn’t do that well at throwing the football deep and with a lot of heat.” He also thought that Leonard’s running game is not quite up to the mark. “His bad footwork means that his consistency at mid-to-deep range throws is somewhat suspect.” As a quarterback, Leonard has to be able to make those throws, irrespective of distance.

This particular flaw causes him to miss out on some making some notable moments in the game. Fisher argues, “Since he isn’t confident in his arm, it means he doesn’t make the big play chance as often as he should. And that needs to happen if you want to be a franchise type quarterback in front of Riley Leonard.” Leonard has all the goods one can ask for in a quarterback. However, that problematic arm, when paired with more issues, is not boding well for the Notre Dame QB in the draft. More troubles await him in the lead-up to the big days.

Riley Leonard’s draft prospects are in danger

Leonard Riley grabbed some eyeballs when he announced he won’t take part in the NFL Combine testing. However, he still impressed scouts and officials with the rest of his work. At Notre Dame’s Pro Day, Leonard put that arm to work. He made some great ones downfield, saying he wanted to let the ball “fly.” But despite these great results, Riley’s journey ahead looks murky.

According to College Sports Network’s latest mock draft, the star QB is expected to pick no. 254 in the 7 round. That’s quite the drop from his March numbers, where Yahoo Sports predicted him going No. 49 in the 2 round. One mock draft had put him in the 4 round as well, but the Round 7 prediction should sound warning bells. That puts him at the risk of teetering off the edge of the draft altogether, which would be a devastating result for the young QB.

The quarterbacks currently in the draft make it difficult for Riley to stand out. In a class led by someone like Jason Milroe and Shedeur Sanders, the chances seem to be slimming day by day. Despite Leonard’s good traits, his flaws will play a part in his draft stock. He was looking good to be a backup QB, but even that hope is starting to wane.

This conundrum aside, Riley Leonard has built a great collegiate career for himself. Those are numbers that he can be happy about. However, the numbers don’t show where he lacks. We won’t know until D-Day how Leonard’s draft turns out, or if he will be picked in the first place.