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Jon Gruden believes Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard has a lot of similarities to former Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. Gruden hosted Leonard for the latest episode of his show "Gruden's QB Class."
At the beginning of the episode, Gruden told Leonard that he has heard a lot of comparisons between him and Rivers, the ex-NFL quarterback with a current net worth of $100 million according to CelebrityNetWorth.com, mostly due to his quick release. Check out what he had to say here (around the 2:38):
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"A lot of people said he's [Philip Rivers] got a weird release, I'll tell you what, it was the quickest release.
"I mean you can't see his release sometimes that ball comes out of his hands fast and accurate, because when I saw you play at Duke, don't I see the same type of delivery at times? Anticipation, quick release, don't I see Philip Rivers right here?"
Being compared to an eight-time NFL Pro Bowler before taking a single snap at the professional level is certainly high praise. Leonard, who stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs in at 216 pounds, wrapped up a senior season in Notre Dame in which he passed for 2,861 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
In that season, Riley Leonard helped lead the Fighting Irish to a national title game, where they came up short against Ohio State.
Who will take a chance on Riley Leonard in the 2025 NFL Draft?
In a deep draft class with some very interesting prospects at the quarterback position, Leonard certainly sticks out. His mixture of size and athleticism is an intriguing combination for any NFL team to want to take a chance on. The fact that he led his program to a national championship game is also a big plus for his draft stock.
While he's not on the same level as top quarterback prospects such as Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Leonard could very well see himself getting an opportunity to be selected in the mid-rounds of the draft.
Teams who could use some depth at the position, or are interested in drafting a project player who could eventually become a starter, include the Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders, New York Giants, and others.
Riley Leonard's NFL future will become a lot clearer come April 24 when the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off in Green Bay.
Notre Dame Fans? Check out the latest Notre Dame depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.
