Could Giants Roll Dice on Surprising Mid-Round Quarterback?

It seems like every viable quarterback has been scouted, studied, interviewed, and scouted again by the New York Giants in the weeks before the NFL Draft. From 30 visits to private workouts, Combine meetings to pro days, the work is almost done.

However, as Cam Ward gets taken off the board and the Giants mull the looming Shedeur Sanders decision, their attention has partly been spent on a handful of Day 2 passers. Both Jalen Milroe and Jaxson Dart could jump into Round 1, and the team has done extra work on experienced pocket passers like Tyler Shough and Kyle McCord.

One name that’s flown under the radar is Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard, and there’s reason to believe he’s among the better fits for New York.

The Athletic’s quarterback guru, Derrik Klassen, revealed that Leonard might just be the Giants’ “best swing” at a mid-round passer due to his athleticism and fit with head coach Brian Daboll.

“Brian Daboll’s best work over the years — outside of his time with Josh Allen — was at Alabama in 2017, with Jalen Hurts, and in 2022, with Daniel Jones,” Klassen wrote.

"Though different quality players, Hurts and Jones can both generally be described as sturdy, athletic quarterbacks with the arm talent to push the ball down the field a little bit. Both players added something to the offense via their mobility, and Daboll took advantage.

“Aside from maybe Milroe, Leonard is Daboll’s best swing at that kind of athlete. Leonard is 6-foot-4, 218 pounds with serious wheels. He’s fairly explosive in short areas and excels when he really gets to stride out, similar to Jones. He’s clearly a weapon in the designed-run game and the red zone.”

Leonard’s mobility was on full display in his lone season at Notre Dame. He rushed 184 times for 906 yards in 2024 – a figure that encompasses his sack totals. He was consistently featured in the team’s short-yardage run game and has more than enough athleticism to be a threat when pulling the ball from his back on a read option.

As Klassen notes, that sounds awfully similar to Daniel Jones’ 2022 campaign.

With a year to learn behind Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, there’s a path to packaged playing time and a skill set that shouldn’t need significant refinement. Offering startable traits at a fraction of the cost, he remains an option for New York if it is without a rookie quarterback early on Day 3.

“Leonard still has a lot to prove as a passer, but his athletic ability and toughness gives him a floor to work with while he figures it out.”