Devin Leary, Kentucky
Height: 6’1”; Weight: 217 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 24 years and 7 months
Class: RS Fifth-Year Senior
Overall Grade: 2.36/4 (Needs Improvement to Contribute)
2023 Games Charted: Louisville, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson
Totals from Games Charted:
Short Throw Accuracy on Platform: 63/96 (65.63%)
Short Throw Accuracy off Platform: 23/34 (67.65%)
Medium Throw Accuracy on Platform: 27/42 (64.29%)
Medium Throw Accuracy off Platform: 6/12 (50%)
Deep Throw Accuracy on Platform: 5/14 (35.71%)
Deep Throw Accuracy off Platform: N/A
Left Side of Field Accuracy: 45/80 (56.25%)
Middle of Field Accuracy: 20/24 (83.33%)
Right Side of Field Accuracy: 59/94 (62.77%)
On Platform, Way Off Target Throws (Vertical/Horizontal): 12/7 (3/1.75 per game)
Off Platform, Way Off Target Throws (Vertical/Horizontal): 1/2 (0.25/0.5 per game)
Sacks/Fumbles: 9/1 (2.25/0.25 per game)
Deflections/Pass Interference: 7/2 (1.75/0.5 per game)
Throwaways/INTs: 4/4 (1/1 per game)
Drops: 9 (2.25 per game)
Designed Runs/Scrambles: 3/1 (0.75/0.25 per game)
Success vs Blitz: 19/47 (40.43%)
Success vs Pressure: 27/68 (39.71%)
Footwork: B-
Pocket Presence: C
“Playmaking”: C-
Short Throw Accuracy: B
Medium Throw Accuracy: B+
Deep Throw Accuracy: C-
Throw on the Run: B+
Success Against Pressure/Blitz: C
Arm Strength: B-
Release: C+
Ball Security: D+
Top Starter Potential: C+
Comp: Nick Mullins
Strengths:
Devin Leary broke out at North Carolina State in 2021 with 35 touchdowns, 5 ints, and 3433 yards passing that included strong performances against Clemson and North Carolina. Leary’s 2022 season was cut short due to a torn pectoral muscle. Then in 2023, Learly struggled at Kentucky hurting his draft outlook.
In terms of what Devin Leary did well this year, he mechanically is decent with good consistency keeping his feet planted during his dropback, and doesn’t unnecessarily chop his feet when reading defenses like some of the other quarterbacks in this draft. Leary also will more often than not have a nice, wide base at the end of his drop and does a good job keeping his feet and chest towards his targets both when throwing in and out of the pocket. Leary also has a leg up on some of the other quarterback prospects with his experience in more NFL-style dropbacks at Kentucky and showed the ability to pick up an NFL-style type of offense pretty quickly. At times, Leary will show really good anticipation and understanding of where to get the ball and when to get it there.
Devin Leary also has nice touch on medium distance throws and has good accuracy on back shoulder throws. Leary’s completion percentage for 2023 may not suggest this accuracy, but this was also decreased due to numerous drops by the Kentucky receivers. Leary also performed this year under constant pressure and was on the wrong side of a lot of hard hits but still found a way to be productive. While Leary isn’t a dynamic runner, he does have the ability to make a guy miss in the pocket now and then.
Areas of Improvement:
Two of my biggest concerns with Devin Leary in the NFL are his arm strength and decision making. Leary’s upper body may still be working its way back from the pectoral tear but his arm strength seems lacking when watching him. Leary also just struggles with decision making especially when pressure is getting close and will too often throw desperation throws that will sometimes go for picks.
With pressure, Devin Leary also just seems to trail back in the pocket making the issue worse and like I mentioned before, he doesn’t have dynamic legs limiting his ability to breakaway for gains on the run when it gets close. Leary also seems to have difficulty making throws deeper down the field when rolling out or scrambling, limiting his upside when pressure is crashing down. Even when pressure isn’t closing in, Leary will still get stuck staring receivers down and will break a streak of several good decisions in a row with a stubborn decision to either try to force a ball to a guy or just miss a defender. Also, when pressure is held up by Leary’s offensive line, he seems to struggle with finding passing windows through the line which was likely due to his smaller stature.
While Devin Leary is relatively strong mechanically compared to his peers, he could benefit from widening his base during his dropback. Leary’s heels can sometimes get a bit too close together near the end of his drop. Leary’s rhythm for his dropback also seems off and he will too often get his feet tangled up during quick throws.
Devin Leary’s release also seems a tick slow and could be in part related to his arm strength limitations. Leary’s throwing motion also looks to have a bit too much of a windup when going back and his release point seems inconsistent leading to some of his inaccurate throws and overall inconsistent tight spiral. Finally, as I alluded to in the beginning, Leary has had multiple injuries throughout his college career that will make teams question if he is built well enough to survive in the NFL.
Conclusion:
I think if a team feels Devin Leary’s arm strength will bounce back with another year removed from his surgery and that they can minimize his poor decisions, then he would be worth throwing at a dart at on day 3. The problem is, you can say and hope that a lot of quarterbacks make that improvement at the next level and it doesn’t typically happen. Throw in that Leary is going to be well past 24 years old by draft day and it feels even more unlikely he’ll make these improvements. Where Leary has some safer upside is in his experience in an NFL-style offense and having experience with the standard dropbacks he’d be doing at the next level.
Due to both having smaller stature, struggles with finding passing windows, and the tendency to be able to move the ball downfield with occasional really terrible decisions, I have Nick Mullins as Devin Leary’s comp. Both Mullins and Leary also struggled with pressure and could make some guys miss on sacks but weren’t much of a threat on the ground. Like Mullins, I think Leary is likely destined for a high- to medium-end back-up role in the NFL. I think Leary’s arm strength, decision making, and overall lack of diversity will be the biggest things that hold him back.
Current Quarterback Rankings: