KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Vincent Testaverde has a pretty recognizable name.
That's what happens when your dad and namesake is a Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback.
But he wants his name to be recognized for a different reason: for being an NFL-caliber quarterback in his own right.
That's why he was on the indoor turf at Arrowhead Stadium's practice facility Saturday morning, working out with just about 30 other NFL hopefuls in front of scouts at a regional combine.
"It's really my one shot, you know?" he said. "I didn't get a combine invite. I'm not a big-time college name out there right now. Not one of the big-time top quarterbacks they're talking about right now. So this was my opportunity to prove myself in front of the scouts, and I did my best."
Testaverde bounced around during his college career, spending time at Texas Tech and Miami before finally settling in at Albany for his final season of eligibility.
While at Texas Tech, Testaverde crossed paths with a guy whose fingerprints are all over Arrowhead.
Back in 2014, Testaverde was a freshman quarterback backing up fellow freshman quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
"I knew he was special when I saw him play for the first time," said Testaverde, who was also roommates with Mahomes. "Me and him would always push each other to get better. But I knew he was going to be a special player."
Testaverde got a chance to take over for Mahomes against Texas when Mahomes went out with an injury. He completed 15 of 26 passes with one interception in that game.
"We didn't have all that great of a year that year _ I think we only won four games," Testaverde said. "We lost that one. But it was a cool experience. Being a freshman, a true freshman and getting to play in front of 60-70,000, a rival game. It was fun."
After making two more collegiate stops after Texas Tech, Testaverde is ready to follow in the footsteps of his old roommate _ and his dad.
To get there, Testaverde is leaning heavily on his dad's advice.
"My dad, he's there with me every step of the way," he said. "I learn everything from him. Anything that he's learned, he teaches me and I'm still learning from him. Every day, me and him talk about everything football-wise and non-football-wise. But he played for a long time, so he knows what it's like and prepared me for that."
