Former Indianapolis Colts' quarterback weighs in on Riley Leonard
Former Indianapolis Colts' quarterback weighs in on Riley Leonard One former Colts' QB has spent time with draft pick Riley Leonard and shared some insights about the rookie QB.
Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Phillip Rivers has spent some time over the last year with sixth-round draft pick Riley Leonard and recently provided some insight into what he can bring to the team.
Leonard's parents live in Fairhope, Alabama, which also happens to be where Rivers calls home. Prior to the 2024 college football season, Riley and a few Notre Dame pass-catchers visited with Rivers at his home and ran routes on the turf field he has in his backyard.
Then, once the college season was completed, Leonard spent some additional time with Rivers during the pre-draft process.
Rivers recently joined Jeffrey Forman and Matt Taylor on "The Last Word" podcast and was asked about Riley.
"(Leonard's) just a real pleasant and enjoyable guy to be around," Rivers said via the Colts' team site. "Just really humble, but really competitive and wants to just soak up all he can. You always want those young guys to be confident but also have that humility that, 'I got a long way to go.'"
After spending three seasons at Duke, Riley transferred to Notre Dame for the 2024 season, where he helped guide the Irish to the National Championship Game.
For Leonard, this was his most efficient season, completing 66.4% of his passes while having the 12th-lowest turnover-worthy play rate in all of college football, according to PFF.
In total, he threw for 2,851 yards at 7.0 yards per attempt with 21 touchdowns to eight interceptions. He also rushed for nearly 1,000 yards as well.
One of the qualities about Leonard that stood out to Colts' area scout Mike Lacy was that some of Leonard's best performances last season came in the biggest games during the College Football Playoffs.
"The thing about Riley," added Rivers, "he's going to do all those things right. He's going to be there early. He's going to end up being an asset to the whole quarterback room in terms of preparing the starter for the season, all while he's getting himself better. It'll be a good working environment for Riley and Shane (Steichen) and that offensive staff — I know a handful of those guys as well — they'll do a heck of a job."
Rivers would also mention that Shane Steichen's understanding of defenses and coverages will be a "great asset" for Leonard as he grows and develops early on in his career.
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