2007 NFL Draft: Florida's Chris Leak Seeks to Silence Detractors

By Jeremy White, NFLHS.com

Chris Leak started at quarterback for four years at the University of Florida and led the Gators to the 2007 national championship with a rout of highly favored Ohio State. Still, he's still maligned by many scouts, who wonder if he's tall enough to play quarterback in the NFL.

He's not exactly short: Leak stands at an even six-feet in height and weighs 207 pounds. Three more inches in height, and Leak would have many fewer detractors. But as it is, he faces the question that many quarterbacks his stature face - can he see over his offensive line enough to be effective?

To Leak, such talk is nonsensical. He threw for 11,213 yards and 88 touchdowns in his college career. He's a leader and a proven winner, and he thinks that shows.

"I think the track record speaks for itself," he says. "You can't control your height, so you work on things you can control, like your passing skills."

Leak scrambles against the Buckeyes during the National Championship game on January 8, 2007.

Leak did toss 42 picks over four years as well. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is roughly two-to-one. In practically every level of football, three-to-one is considered ideal. For his part, Leak insists height does not negatively impact his ability to make big plays on the field.

"Your offensive linemen are always going to be taller than you, so you have to learn the passing lanes and really focus on seeing them," he says. "When you can do that, height isn't really an issue."

His finest statistical season came when he was a sophomore in 2004, the only year in which he topped the 3,000-yard mark. That season, Leak completed 238 of 399 passes for 3,197 yards and 29 touchdowns.

The key to succeeding in the NFL, says Leak, is learning the intricacies of the opposition's defensive schemes and alignments.

"If you want to play at the next level you need to learn to read defenses," Leak explains. "That will help you make the transition more easily."

Regardless of what his detractors say, Leak has an NCAA championship ring on his finger - only the second quarterback from Florida to have those bragging rights.

"It feels great to be a national champion," he says. "It's what you strive for."

Leak advises high school quarterbacks to be students of the game and to learn how to deal with the pressure and scrutiny that accompanies the quarterback position. He also says you need to be flexible if you hope to play college football.

"At any level that you move up to, you have to be able to adjust to different coaches and different philosophies," he says. "There's always a learning curve."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc.