Columbia: Quarterback U?

I used to live three blocks away from where the Columbia Lions play football in upper Manhattan. Over the years, I went to plenty of their games — and enjoyed them a lot. But I never really considered it college football in the NFL draft sense. Sitting alongside the few hundred friends, girlfriends and parents of the guys on the field, I thought watching the Lions was like drinking some friend's homemade wine, while a trip to Miami to watch the Hurricanes play was like enjoying a David Bruce pinot noir —the same thing in essence, but not in fact.

So I was caught a bit off guard when I found out the Colts (along with the Giants and Eagles) worked out the Lions' quarterback yesterday. Not that Craig Hormann (6041, 228, 5.03) is a bad prospect by FCS standards. Coltplay readers from Indianapolis will probably remember him from his heroics at Lawrence Central.

He's a big boy with a powerful arm, great accuracy and an ability to stand up to the fiercest rush. And he had to with the — as usual — terrible Lions. Despite his great ability, he had to use all his skill and desire to record 393-215-2,505-12-15 passing as a senior after 230-126-1,613-8-9 as a junior.

I've seen tape of him playing, and he has some real NFL quarterback skills. Scouting reports say he throws into coverage too often, but with his turnstile offense line and receivers who struggled to get open, it wasn't really his fault.

But that doesn't mean Hormann's a first-rounder waiting to happen. Facing Ivy League defenses isn't exactly like moving the ball against the Patriots. And NFL scouts will not be impressed with Hormann's slow feet. At Columbia, he looked like a sitting duck in the pocket, showing little motion or ability to evade the rush. Some of that may have been the lingering effects of a serious 2005 knee injury, though.

Despite his unimpressive stats against lackluster competition, Hormann is a prospect NFL scouts will pay attention to. He needs to work on his footwork and agility, but definitely has the arm and brain to stick as a No. 3 guy. He'll be in someone's camp and is likely to make a practice squad somewhere.