It isn't likely that former Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard will get much of an opportunity to play in the NFL this year. As of now, the Indianapolis Colts look set to play Daniel Jones for the foreseeable future. At the very least, he's their Week 1 starter.
After that, the expectation is for them to play Anthony Richardson if Jones either goes down or doesn't play well.
Leonard will have to grind his way through the NFL, but he showed at Notre Dame and other stops before his time with the Irish that he knows how to do that.
Could Colts draft another Manning?
Despite that, the Colts could be in a perfect position to replace every quarterback on their roster, including Leonard, with Arch Manning next year.
Searching for the top landing spots for Manning in the 2026 NFL Draft, Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Reports linked the Colts and the Texas Star.
“Peyton Manning is the greatest player to ever don a uniform as part of the Indianapolis Colts. He was replaced by the best quarterback of his generation in Andrew Luck, who retired abruptly a month before the start of the 2019 season...
“They can make a strong play to add the next Manning. Arch Manning can benefit greatly from playing behind offensive linemen Quenton Nelson and Bernhard Raimann and alongside running back Jonathan Taylor while throwing to Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and tight end Tyler Warren,” he wrote.
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If Manning decides to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, there's a good chance he’ll get picked first overall because of his name.
While Manning has proven himself to be an outstanding player throughout his young career, much of the hype stems from his accomplishments in high school.
However, if he has a good season at Texas this year, there's no debate about who will go No. 1.