Devin Leary Selected in the 6th Round of the NFL Draft by the Ravens

Another familiar face is taking his talents to the National Football League. Former Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary has been selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the NFL Draft with pick No. 218.

Kentucky went 14 years without a quarterback in the NFL Draft. The Cats now have a pair of players picked from the position in consecutive years. Even though Will Levis and Devin Leary each transferred into the program to play for Liam Coen, they had much different tenures at Kentucky.

Joining Davis as drafted Wildcats so far are DB Andru Phillips (No. 70; Giants), LB Trevin Wallace (No. 72; Panthers), and RB Ray Davis (No. 128).

Levis was almost an immediate success, guiding Kentucky to a 10-win season with a big arm and exceptional running ability. Leary used his legs to evade pressure, but not move the sticks, all while managing to post a 7-6 campaign in 2023.

The record is reflected by Leary’s up-and-down season that featured a few highs mixed in with lows. The Kentucky quarterback ranked second in the SEC in touchdown passes with 24. He also threw a dozen interceptions, more than any other SEC starter, and completed only 54.2% of his passes against conference foes. Leary had three 300+ yard passing games and tallied three games with at least three passing touchdowns.

Leary was one of the most sought-after quarterbacks when he entered the transfer portal last offseason. The New Jersey native was one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC in 2021. He threw for more than 3,400 yards, 35 touchdowns, and only five interceptions to guide NC State to a 9-3 regular season record. He was named Preseason ACC Player of the Year ahead of the 2022 season, one that was ended prematurely by an injury. He suffered two season-ending injuries in three years while in Raleigh.

Scout’s Take on Devin Leary

Almost every NFL Draft prospect has an evaluation from a scout on NFL.com. He’s shown just enough to ensure his name was called.

Inconsistent pocket passer with slightly below-average size coming off a two-year run that seemed to kill the legitimate buzz created in his sophomore season. Leary’s tape shows flashes of accuracy, touch and football intelligence, but it’s not sustained often enough. He has an NFL arm with good life on his drive throws and might have potential in a play-action based passing scheme if a coach can iron out some of the field-reading and decision-making issues. Leary’s receivers did him few favors, and there are enough splashy throws to make him a dark-horse prospect worthy of a late Day 3 selection.

Lance Zierlein, NFL.com