Draft-Week Buzz
No verified pre-draft news items in the past 30 days for this prospect. See Day 2/3 Team Fits below for projected landing spots and /news.html for the cross-prospect timeline.
Scouting Nugget: 2025 Big 12 breakout
Expanded bio coming soon. This prospect is Quarterback #11 in the 2026 class.
Background
Arizona State breakout starter from West Linn (OR); Michigan State transfer who found his footing under Kenny Dillingham.
College Production
2024 ASU (Jr, first-year starter): 2,885 pass yds, 24 TDs, 6 INTs — led ASU to Big 12 title game.
Scouting Take
Poised pocket operator; quick decision-maker. Arm talent modest; lacks elite physical traits.
Draft Projection
Round 5-6. Fit: West Coast scheme starter-insurance role.
Sources
Our scouting profile is assembled from these primary sources + cross-checked against ESPN (Kiper / Reid / Miller), PFF's 2026 Big Board, Dane Brugler's The Beast 2026, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50. See our full methodology and citations.
Day 2 / Day 3 Team Fits
NFL teams that lost a same-position veteran this offseason — and could target Sam Leavitt as a Day 2/3 replacement option.
- REPORTED Las Vegas Raiders: moved on from Geno Smith (pocket-QB).
Picks held: R1 #1; R2 #36 - REPORTED Arizona Cardinals: moved on from Kyler Murray (pocket-QB).
Picks held: R1 #3; R2 #34
Confidence: "VERIFIED" departures cite a publication URL (Spotrac, OverTheCap, ESPN, NFL.com, team transactions page) confirming the move and date. "REPORTED" entries come from public free-agency trackers without a single canonical source we could attach. Fits are archetype-and-position based; we are not claiming the team has expressed interest in the prospect.
NFL Scheme Fit
NFL Scheme Fit
- RPO / spread / movement-passer offense
Buffalo Bills · Philadelphia Eagles · Atlanta Falcons · Cincinnati Bengals
Scheme matches are bucketed from the prospect's height, weight, and (for WRs) archetype tag against a static lookup of which NFL teams currently run each scheme family.
Rookie Contract & Landing-Spot Outlook
Projected Rookie Contract Value
~$4.5M – $4.9M (4-year deal) · Pick range: #129-160 · ~15% guaranteed
Modest signing bonus + minimum salaries
Best-Case / Worst-Case Landing Spot
Why: QB listed in their top-5 positional needs.
Year-1 arc: Day-1 starter window with cap-controlled rookie-contract production.
Why: QB not in their stated top-5 needs; runs a scheme that doesn't naturally amplify his profile.
Year-1 arc: Depth-chart competition + special-teams reps as Year-1 baseline.
Contract band uses the 2026 NFL CBA rookie wage scale projected from the prospect's expected pick range; guarantee % is the slot-default at that pick. Landing-spot best/worst case is derived from TEAMS data (positional needs + scheme overlap minus same-position R1 conflicts) — not a claim that either team has expressed interest.
Versatility, Limits & Roster Pathway
Day-3 NFL Roster Pathway
Day 3 QB projection means the practice squad is the realistic Year 1 destination unless an injury opens a QB3 spot late in camp.
Derived from height/weight against the 2026 position cohort and the prospect's projected round. Versatility callouts identify alternate alignments NFL teams have historically used for similar size profiles. Limiting-trait notes flag the single most-cited measurable concern; severity reflects how often that flag ends a Day 1 starter projection. Roster-pathway notes describe the realistic Year 1 NFL role for Day 3 picks.
By the Numbers — 2026 Class Context
- Frame: Among 2026 QB prospects, his 6-2 / 205 lbs frame sits at the 57th percentile in height and 30th percentile in weight.
- Position class: Sam Leavitt is QB #11 of 30 ranked QBs in the 2026 class. Of those, 2 are projected in the R5 range.
- School pipeline: One of 6 Arizona State prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft — but the only QB.
Computed factually from the 2026 prospect class roster — height/weight percentiles benchmark this player against every other ranked prospect at the same position. Recruiting arc compares his high-school 247Sports/Rivals composite to his current projected round.
Sam Leavitt’s NFL Archetype: Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
Closest QB physical profile in the modern NFL: 6-2/205 lbs. Same frame, same role bucket — NOT a talent or career-arc projection.
Note: this is a physical-profile match — frame, position, role bucket. Not a talent or career-arc projection.
Similar Quarterback Prospects
Closest matches to Sam Leavitt (6-2 / 205 lbs, #11 QB) by ranking proximity and physical profile. SIZE MATCH = within 1″ height and 10 lbs; TIER MATCH = within 2 ranking spots.
- Behren MortonSIZE MATCH Texas Tech · 6-2/205 lbs · #9 QB · R4-R5
- Miller MossSIZE MATCH Louisville · 6-2/215 lbs · #12 QB · R6
- John MateerSIZE MATCH Oklahoma · 6-1/210 lbs · #10 QB · R5
- Kaidon SalterSIZE MATCH Colorado · 6-2/205 lbs · #15 QB · R7
- Avery JohnsonSIZE MATCH Kansas State · 6-1/205 lbs · #8 QB · R4
Arizona State & The 2026 Class
More from Arizona State
- Keith Abney II · CB #8 · R2-R3
- Keyshaun Elliott · LB #9 · R3
- Max Iheanachor · OT #6 · R1-R2
- Latu Faatui · TE #17 · R7-UDFA
- Jordyn Tyson · WR #2 · R1 15-25
Other R5-R6 prospects in the 2026 class
Different positions, same projected draft tier as Sam Leavitt.
- Le'Veon Moss · RB · Texas A&M
- Eric Rivers · WR · Georgia Tech
- Brett Thorson · P · Georgia
- Roman Hemby · RB · Indiana
- Anez Cooper · IOL · Miami (FL)
- Parker Brailsford · IOL · Alabama