Joe Montana Son, Nate Montana to Follow in Father's Legendary NFL Footsteps? Competes at Regional Combine, Eligible for 2013 Draft, Football Career Still a 'Long Shot'

Have readers ever heard of Nate Montana? He's the 23-year-old son of NFL Hall of Famer and quarterback superstar Joe Montana, and he's eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft this year... but is he good enough? The recent college grad competed in the NFL Super Regional Combine at Cowboys Stadium in Texas on Monday (April 8), and popular NFL sports blogger Bucky Brooks was none too impressed. Are Nate's hopes of following in his father's legendary footsteps too far of a long shot?

As the SFGate blog notes, the young Montana had a rather "rocky" college football career. He attended four different schools (with two stints at his father's alma mater, Notre Dame). In last season's Division II West Virginia Wesleyan, Nate led his conference with 2,480 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. But as sports analysts note, the step up from the D-II level to the professional league is tough.

Here's a short Wiki history of Nate's college career:

After graduating from high school in 2008, he enrolled at Notre Dame and joined the Fighting Irish football team's coach Charlie Weis as a walk-on, with the hope of landing a scholarship as a sophomore. Following Montana's freshman year at Notre Dame, he found himself well down the depth chart at quarterback. In order to increase his playing time, he withdrew from Notre Dame in 2009 and tried out for Mt. SAC's football program but would not be the starting quarterback and later enrolled at Pasadena City College in southern California as a redshirt freshman. Montana re-enrolled at Notre Dame in January 2010. He was the quarterback behind Tommy Rees and Dayne Crist. He played in three games for the Fighting Irish as a junior in 2010, and was 9 for 18 for 116 yards with an interception. On February 14, 2011, Montana confirmed he was transferring to the University of Montana, a top FCS program in the Big Sky Conference. As the transfer was from FBS to FCS, he was eligible to play immediately. He transferred to West Virginia Wesleyan, a Division II program, in May 2012.

In Brook's NFL.com evaluation of Montana, he explains in an Around The League blog post:

“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." He also thinks that Nate kicking off a successful career in the NFL like his dad is a "long shot." Brook claims, “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.”

Nate's father Joe Montana (aka, "The Comeback Kid") found success while playing with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs in the 1980s. Montana has been honored with several prestigious titles - he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, his first year of eligibility.

Do Mstars readers think Nate has a shot at achieving the same renowned NFL success as his father?