Patriots Questioned for Passing on Unique Notre Dame QB

The New England Patriots are being questioned for not taking this unique Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback in the NFL Draft.

Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard (QB08) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots appear to have found their franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, so they entered the NFL Draft knowing they did not need to spend a high pick on a signal-caller.

However, many expected the Patriots to select a quarterback later in the draft in order to provide some insurance behind Maye, and one popular name was Notre Dame star Riley Leonard.

Leonard was ultimately selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round last week on a day in which New England was busy taking a kicker and a long snapper.

Jason Ounpraseuth of NESN is questioning the Pats' decision to pass on Leonard and thinks it may have been worth snatching the Fighting Irish product.

"While New England hopes Maye doesn’t get hurt, anything can happen in the NFL," Ounpraseuth wrote. "It’s important for teams to ensure they aren’t dead in the water if their starter gets injured. Joshua Dobbs is a fine backup behind Maye, but it wouldn’t have hurt to have someone in-house who could benefit from developing under [Josh] McDaniels. ... Leonard would know his place, and his versatility perfectly fits the mold of a backup signal-caller."

Not only that, but the Patriots may have even been able to deploy Leonard in unique offensive sets, as the 6-foot-4, 205-pound youngster racked up 906 yards and 17 touchdowns as a rusher last season, averaging 4.9 yards per carry.

In the end, New England probably won't be kicking themselves for not picking Leonard three to five years from now. He likely is never going to be a legitimate starting quarterback on the NFL level, but there is no doubt that he is an intriguing piece that may have served as a better pick than a kicker or long snapper on Day 3.

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