Is Riley Leonard playing in the Senior Bowl? Looking at Notre Dame's QB's decision

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard will participate in this year's Senior Bowl. The game is an All-Star event that gives draft-eligible players a chance to practice and play in front of NFL coaches and executives while they can also talk to teams ahead of the draft.

Although several Ohio State and Notre Dame players opted out of the Senior Bowl due to the college football playoff going later than usual, Leonard decided to play.

Leonard spoke to On3's Tyler Hoka and explained his decision to attend the Senior Bowl, despite being banged up as he said Ohio State hit him hard several times during the CFP Championship game.

"If you give me a chance to play football, I'm going to play it," Leonard said.

Leonard is hoping to boost his NFL draft stock at the Senior Bowl. He also said to Al.com that he never thought about opting out.

“It’s really cool,” Leonard said. “I mean, this is a special place. I got here and everybody was complaining about how cold it was. Coming from South Bend, this is like paradise to me. So, it’s good to be back. It just feels like home. You can smell it in the air. It’s a great city and I’m happy to be here. You can smell the sea as soon as you touch foot down in Alabama.

“I never really thought about that,” Leonard said. “I’m just trying to play as many snaps as possible. If there’s a ball game that I get invited to, I’m going to go play in it.”

Leonard began his college career at Duke before transferring to Notre Dame. In his lone season with the Fighting Irish, he went 269-for-403 for 2,861 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 906 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Is Riley Leonard expected to be drafted?

Despite Riley Leonard leading Notre Dame to the national championship game, he won't be one of the top QBs entering this draft.

ProFootballNetwork predicts Leonard as a potential seventh-round pick but could also be a priority UDFA by teams. The SportingNews, meanwhile, projects Leonard to be a sixth-round pick.

Ultimately, if Leonard is selected in the 2025 NFL draft it will be in the final two rounds.