Colts' Polarizing Draft Pick Considered Team's 'Worst'

The Indianapolis Colts came away from the 2025 NFL Draft pleased with some of the impact players they added and the depth that they built.

One pick in particular, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, is someone the Colts had eyes on for quite some time and ultimately landed him with the 189th overall pick of the draft in the sixth round.

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports gave his two cents on each of the 32 teams' draft hauls, including their best and worst picks, as well as each team's most interesting selection. For the Colts, Sullivan declared Leonard "a snoozer" of a pick.

"If you're going to take a quarterback at 189, Indy might have been better off just targeting (Shedeur) Sanders earlier on Day 3," Sullivan wrote. "It's hard to imagine Leonard factoring into the upcoming position battle between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson, making this a snoozer of a selection. 

While the Colts certainly didn't need to draft a quarterback given the competition ahead between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, the selection of Leonard isn't about this year.

The Colts lost free agent quarterback Sam Ehlinger to the Denver Broncos this offseason, leaving developmental practice squad player Jason Bean as the only other quarterback on the roster behind Richardson and Jones. The Colts were always going to look to add another quarterback.

"We liked Riley... We’ve been following him from Duke, and then he goes to Notre Dame and has a lot of success," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said after the draft. "He had been training with Philip Rivers. So, of course, that is a definite connection. But good to get him. He’s a good player, a good athlete. We think he’s got some upside. He’ll come in and compete.”

“I just think the athletic ability that he has at the quarterback position, what he was able to do at Notre Dame this year, leading them to the National Championship, speaks volumes of the player and the competitor that he is," Colts head coach Shane Steichen added about Leonard. "Just to add that depth in that room is big."

The Colts' QB room could look much different in 2026 than it does in 2025. Right now, Richardson and Jones will battle for the starting role. However, if either doesn't look the part during the season, there's a good chance that one or both could be leaving Indy in 2026.

At that point, they will at least have had Leonard on the roster for a year, developing into what could be their backup quarterback. They would still need to find a new starter, but they would at least already have a player in the room who has been in the system for a year, and can move an offense using his mobility and the quick passing game.

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