ESPN Lists Devin Leary as Top Sleeper Pick in the 2024 NFL Draft

Heading into 2023, Kentucky football needed to revamp their offense after a rather mediocre 2022 season. A lot of positions had to be either filled or replaced, and one of those positions was quarterback.

After Will Levis decided to forego his senior season and declare for the NFL Draft, Mark Stoops and Liam Coen had to find themselves a sure-fire QB1. According to some people, Levis’ replacement is yet another NFL-caliber QB. In an ESPN article by NFL analyst Matt Miller, Devin Leary was mentioned as one of the top sleeper picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Miller opens up his article by summarizing the hype surrounding Leary’s NFL potential. He explains, “A senior transfer from NC State, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Leary has produced at a high level as a starter and has scouts excited about his potential in Kentucky’s pro-style offensive scheme with the return of coordinator Liam Coen to Lexington.”

He also talked about how Leary’s stats speak for themselves, adding, “Leary has flashed potential, including a 2021 season that saw him throw for 35 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions.”

Seeing Leary perform so well in an NFL-style offense is the biggest catalyst for the excitement that NFL scouts have about him. Some NFL scouts even openly spoke about how Leary landed on their radar.

One particular unnamed AFC scout gave his input about Leary, saying, “There’s no substitute for experience at quarterback in college, and Leary has a ton of it. He’s built right mentally for that quick-strike offense, and I think we’ll see more mobility from him now.”

In addition, a scout from the NFC discussed how Kentucky will implement a system that will better prepare Leary for the NFL. He even revealed that he believes Leary could be better than Levis was last year.

“The last time he was healthy for a full season he was torching people. This scheme is better than what he had at NC State. Don’t be surprised if Leary has a better year than [Will] Levis did last year.”

Amongst the Caleb Williams’ (USC) and Marvin Harrison Jr.’s (Ohio State) of college football are those who are less known (like WKU’s Malachi Corley), but have just as much potential to have NFL talent.

Kentucky QB Devin Leary is one particular player that is flying under the NFL draft radar for most, but a lot of NFL scouts and analysts are excited to see what he can this season for the Kentucky Wildcats.