Joe Montana Son Hoping To Follow Father To NFL

Joe Montana’s son, 23-year-old Nate Montana, is eligible for the NFL Draft this year. Whether that means the young quarterback will get a bite of the NFL cherry – the Draft begins on April 25 and runs through the 27th – is not yet known.

His Hall of Fame father might have been one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time, but that won’t guarantee success for Nate Montana. The youngster competed in Monday’s NFL Super Regional Combine at Cowboys Stadium, and NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks, who was in attendance, was not overly impressed. He told the Around The League blog:

“It’s going to be hard for him to transition to the next level. His passes don’t have zip. He has difficulty making pro throws.”

Describing the older Joe Montana son as a “long shot,” Brooks added:

“He’s a great kid, his measurables are fine, but in terms of playing at the next level, his performance here was not very good.”

NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt was also in Dallas for Monday’s Combine, and was slightly kinder about Nate Montana’s performance. Brandt thinks Montana’s stature – he stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 215 pounds – could secure a camp invite.

Montana, notes the SFGate blog, had a somewhat rocky college career. From the four different schools he ended up with, he made two stops at his father’s alma mater, Notre Dame. In last season’s Division II West Virginia Wesleyan, he led his conference with 2,480 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. However, the step up from D-II to NFL is considerable.

Nate is not the only Joe Montana son hoping to crack the big league. Younger brother Nick was a quarterback at the University of Washington before transferring to Tulane this year.

Just for old times’ sake, here’s Dad’s greatest moment again: