Riley Leonard is back in South Bend for a nostalgic Thursday for the Pro Day workout. In a grappling shift to the professional aspirations from collegiate greatness, Riley made the inevitable jump to the NFL. He was invited in the combine last month but chose to participate in the Pro day as well. But the same narrative recurred. If you’re someone who was badly hoping to see him run the traditional 40-yard dash after he declined the same during the combine, you know the feeling! You are not alone in this blue zone, however. Insider Tyler Wojciak adds to it with a minute scrutiny.
The Irish prodigy took up an instrumental role in the historic national title run of the team. He led the team in the final, putting up a total of 900 yards and 17 touchdowns last year. But if you sit and watch thoroughly all the Riley Leonard highlights from the season, you might find your heart on the edge several times. Every few seconds, you might worry that a defender will catch him in between long strides. But that rarely happened. However, as soon as he inches nearer to translate these skills to the pro, he is going slow.
While most of the athletes are trying harder to impress the NFL scouts, Riley is playing it cool as always. Following an average combine performance in Indianapolis, the Notre Dame quarterback is turning heads in the pro day passing drills. When he lobbed a deep ball down the field, his exceptional arm strength was in focus. The way he answered short balls was also a treat to the eyes. But there are some points that made him look a bit dull as well.
Breaking down the death trap, Locked on Irish host Tyler Wojciak said, ”One of my biggest pet peeves with Riley Leonard when he was running the ball, he just jumped way too much. But he also had really good speed, especially for someone his size. The analyst continued venting out his frustration over Riley not performing the 40-yard dash, but couldn’t really disagree with his justification afterward.
When the QB phenom was asked why he chose to hold off the run in the pro day as well, Riley humourously answered, Everyone thinks I am really fast, so we’re going to keep it that way.’‘ Tyler acknowledged his point, but at the same time thinks a little alternative wouldn’t cost that much. ‘You don’t want to run the 40, but like you can do the vertical jump, you don’t need a ton of training to get a really good vertical jump,” the Notre Dame insider concluded.
However, despite the odds, Leonard managed nearly 70 attempts with pinpoint accuracy with minimal errors under the high-pressure situation. But draft stock seems to be disappointing in a new mock analysis. NFL’s Bucky Brooks’ top 5 QB prospects include Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, and Kyle McCord. Riley Leonard is foreign on the list. Draft rank is a different ball game, although.
It’s not quite unexpected, but after the way Leonard performed in the pro day, we will see where his draft fate flows further.
What does Riley Leonard have to say about his draft stock?
The former Duke transfer certainly seems to be a lucrative catch. It’s just that he needs to gain some extra body mass (muscle) to fix and enhance his frame. Sometimes, he couldn’t really pull the best out of his third-down passes. Deep throws also need a little rework during the season. So, he needs a lot of development to prove himself as an elite NFL contender. But come on, he is the ultimate architect of the lofty Irish dream, leading them to the cusp of a national title after 32 years of drought.
He has gained some crucial insights into the game that can help in his smooth transition into the pro sphere. However, he never stepped into the draft with the dream of being an immediate starter on an A-list team. Rather, he will be at ease to develop behind a QB1. But how does he weigh in on his performance?
At the end of the Pro day, Riley was asked where he thinks of his standing in the looming draft day after a captivating showdown at South Bend. The prodigy surrenders everything to the time. “I don’t know,” he said. “Shoot, we just came out here and did routes on air. I think you can really only prove yourself, maybe on the field, when you’re playing 11-on-11 with pads. Hopefully, I proved a lot to a lot of people.”
No matter which team lands the Notre Dame star quarterback, Riley is going to be an indomitable force on the offense, even if not immediately, but definitely.
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