Former UF QB Leak faces doubters again in NFL Draft



INDIANAPOLIS -- Chris Leak knows there are doubters -- lots of them.

He also knows that for every doubter, he has a supporter. Those supporters are whom he will listen to as he prepares for the NFL.

The former UF quaterback arrived at the NFL Scouting Combine last week, facing questions of how he would measure up to the poking and prodding he would receive from scouts.

To them, what Chris Leak has done on the college level is only part of the package.

The rest is how he performs under the scrutiny of rulers and scales.

Chris Leak is projected as a second-day pick in April's draft and will work out again at UF's Pro Day on March 7.

"Some people are trying to make a big issue of my size, but I was told by (San Diego Chargers coach) Norv Turner (at the Senior Bowl) my height isn't an issue, and (he) said I have all the ability to be successful on the next level," Chris Leak said.

Chris Leak measured in at just more than 5-foot-11, a midget in the eyes of NFL quaterbacks.

Despite the success of other diminutive quarterbacks, such as Doug Flutie and Drew Brees, scouts cringe when they see smaller quarterbacks, because they may have trouble seeing passing lanes and over their larger offensive linemen.

"All I can say is, height's not an issue for me," Chris Leak said. "Playing four years at Florida, all my offensive linemen have been between 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-8, so I'm very familiar with how you have to see through lanes."

Chris Leak told teams that having played for two head coaches -- Ron Zook and Urban Meyer -- and three offensive coordinators -- Dan Mullen, Larry Fedora and Ed Zaunbrecher -- he is going to be more prepared than most signal callers.

"Making the transition to the NFL means you have to adjust," Chris Leak said. "What I went through in college, learning different playbooks, different philosophies, has me more prepared for the next level."

But Kansas City Chiefs coach Herm Edwards questions Chris Leak's mobility.

Throughout NFL history, shorter quarterbacks have had the ability to run and make plays with their feet.

But that's not Chris Leak, who is the traditional drop-back passer.

"Doug Flutie ran around, Fran Tarkenton ran around," Edwards said. "There's some guys about that height who've been kind of successful. I just think it's how you use them. You can't ask them to drop back. You're going to have to move them a little bit.

"You never say, 'No' (a shorter quarterback can't be a drop-back passer), because every time you say it, a guy stumbles around and you say, 'How's this guy still playing?' Then he wins a game or two and you say, 'This guy's pretty good.'"

And that's what Chris Leak wants to be known as.

In fact, he already feels he is.

"The best way to put it is, I'm battle-tested," Chris Leak said. "I played in the toughest conference in college football, the SEC."

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