Shedeur Sanders vs Riley Leonard Stats: Who is the better QB?

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Notre Dame Fighting Irish QB Riley Leonard are two of the top QBs left on the board after day two of the 2025 NFL draft. Five QBs were taken in the first three rounds of the draft: Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe and Dillon Gabriel.

Throughout the draft, the biggest discussion has been around why Shedeur Sanders has been falling. Once viewed as a nearly guaranteed first-round pick, he has now fallen out of the first three rounds. As for Riley Leonard, he was never expected to be picked on the first two days and was always seen as a likely late-round pick.

Despite their different positions entering the draft, Sanders and Leonard find themselves in the same position entering day three. As a result, it is reasonable to question why Sanders was rated so much higher than Leonard before the draft. Here is a look at the stats of each player last season and throughout their college football careers.

Shedeur Sanders vs. Riley Leonard stats comparison

Shedeur Sanders stats

Shedeur Sanders has been widely viewed as one of the top players in the 2025 NFL draft since the end of the college football season. Part of the reason for that was his impressive stat line at Colorado.

Last season, he went 35-of-477 on his passing attempts for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. He has also shown consistency throughout his college career, with four seasons of at least 3,200 yards and 27 TDs.

The biggest issue with Sanders when it comes to his stats is that he takes too many sacks. He was sacked 42 times last season and 94 times throughout his career at Colorado. As a result, there are concerns that he holds onto the ball too long.

Riley Leonard stats

Riley Leonard transferred to Notre Dame this past season after three seasons at Duke. He had a solid season while leading the Fighting Irish to the National Championship Game. He completed 269 of 403 passing attempts for 2,861 yards and 21 TDs.

He also rushed for 906 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024.

While Leonard was consistently strong last season, he did not put up gaudy numbers like Sanders or other top QBs.

However, his clutch play could interest some NFL teams. Leonard had two of his three best games of the season in the final two games of the college football playoff. That is the kind of X-factor NFL teams often look for in the later rounds of the draft.