INDIANAPOLIS – This is where Riley Leonard expected to be. Wanted to be.
With the Indianapolis Colts. In their quarterback room with Anthony Richardson Sr., Daniel Jones and Jason Bean.
As he positioned his cell phone for a Saturday afternoon Zoom call with the Indy media, the former Notre Dame quarterback wore a Colts hat and Colts shirt.
“C’mon!’’ he shouted with a wide grin.
A relationship Leonard yearned for began at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February and further deepened at Notre Dame’s March 27 Pro Day in South Bend. Head coaches don’t normally attend Pro Days, but Shane Steichen was among Colts personnel who made the two-hour drive from Indy.
Leonard and Steichen talked frequently and at length.
“This has been really fortunate for me just to have an inner circle, specifically in relation to Coach Steichen, throughout this whole process,’’ Leonard said. “There’s no place that I would rather be than back in Indiana.
“Even when I was at the Combine in Indianapolis, it kind of just felt like home. To have him around was really cool.’’
His desire became a reality when general manager Chris Ballard used the first of his two sixth-round picks – No. 189 overall – on Leonard.
It marked the fourth time since taking Andrew Luck No. 1 overall and Chandler Harnish at No. 253 (Mr. Irrelevant) in 2012 the Colts have invested in the position.
After the transformational Luck draft, there was Jacob Eason (round 4 in 2020), Sam Ehlinger (round 6 in ’21) and, of course, Richardson (round 1 in ’23).
The lead-up to Leonard joining the Colts’ quarterbacks room included working out with former Colts QB Philip Rivers. Both reside in Fairhope, Ala., where Rivers, who led the Colts to their last playoff appearance in 2020, is the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic School.
“I went over to his house a couple of days ago,’’ Leonard said. “He’s got a really cool place in his backyard to throw.’’
He and one of Rivers’ sons, Gunner, tossed the football around. Whenever they visit and work out, Leonard always gleans information from Rivers’ deep knowledge. Rivers’ 17-year NFL career produced 63,440 yards and 421 touchdowns.
“Probably the biggest thing that I learned was how intentional he is about every little thing,’’ Leonard said. “If we’re doing the warmup and we’re taking five-step drops, those five-step drops have to be pristine for them to be good enough for him.’’
Leonard passed for 2,861 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 906 yards and 17 more TDs while leading Notre Dame to the national championship game against Ohio State in January. Including his three seasons at Duke, he passed for 7,311 yards and 45 TDs while adding 2,130 yards and 36 TDs on the ground.
The Colts have been impressed with his ability to extend plays, be a playmaker and his preparation.
But there’s still work to be done for a quarterback who’s appeared in 43 games, 37 as a starter.
“I don’t think I’m nearly the player I want to be,’’ Leonard said. “Being able to play with my eyes and be a little bit more disciplined in the pocket. You’re not going to be able to extend the plays you did in college as much.
Operating in the pocket and playing on time are a couple of things I really want to emphasize.’’
Leading up to the draft, Leonard had dinner in the Fairhope area with Colts’ quarterback Daniel Jones – a reunion of former Duke standouts – and Jones called him after the selection. Anthony Richardson also sent a text.
Leonard’s reaction when the Colts called Saturday afternoon?
“Just a sigh of relief,’’ Leonard said. “The whole draft process, every time (the Colts) comes on the screen, I’m just crossing my fingers. It came at the perfect time. Couldn’t ask for me.
“The only place I wanted to be was in Indianapolis. To hear my name called, it didn’t matter the round, I just wanted to be in the building with the guys.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.