Arguably the greatest college football player ever as a second day draft pick? I don’t think so.
According to many NFL scouts, including ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, Florida QB Tim Tebow would not be drafted until the third or fourth round in the draft. Now, while I am not a professional draft analyst, I really have to disagree with the whole notion that Tebow could not be a successful passer in the NFL.
However, I do see where they are coming from.
The first argument against the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner is that he comes from a certain college system. Alex Smith, the first overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 NFL draft, played under Florida coach Urban Meyer while he was at Utah. By the looks of it, Smith is now out of a job. He did not play at all this past season due to a shoulder injury and will probably be released by the 49ers. His career QB rating is 63.5, with 19 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. In his defense though, he has had a different offensive coordinator with a different system every year.
But there is a huge difference between the two quarterbacks. First off, Tebow is far more physically talented than Smith. He is bigger, stronger, faster and more accurate. He also plays in much more talented and difficult conference. The Mountain West Conference doesn’t even compare to the excessive speed and skill of the SEC. Smith played against the defenses of New Mexico, BYU, and TCU in his route to a BCS Bowl berth. Tebow, on the other hand, had to get passed Georgia, LSU, and Alabama on his route to two National Championships.
The other knock on Tebow is his similarities to two other “run-first” quarterbacks who were not successful in the NFL; Michael Vick and Vince Young. While Vick may never play in the league again because of actions off of the field, it is unfair to make comparisons to Young. Mainly, because Young just completed his third year in the NFL, and wasn’t even given the chance to start after getting injured and benched in week two.
But Tebow has qualities that Young doesn’t. First off, he is a far better leader. Many great college quarterbacks, like Young and Smith, don’t make it in the NFL simply because they are not strong leaders. Tebow is. He takes responsibilities for his actions and carries the team on his back when he needs to. Those are qualities that are rare among quarterbacks at any level. It is one of the qualities that separates the elite quarterbacks from the rest of the bunch.
And Tebow is not a true “run-first” quarterback. A real "run-first" guy is someone who chooses to run the ball when the play still calls for him to throw it. Can you blame the guy for having skill with his legs?
He has also defied every criticism that people have thrown at him. When he was a freshman, and Chris Leak was the starter, Tebow was only used to pound the ball for a few short yards.
After his freshman year, critics and analysts doubted that he could be the full time starter. Not only did he answer that question, he broke the NCAA record for touchdowns scored by one player in a season and won the Heisman. Coming into this year they doubted that Tebow could win by passing more than running. Well, his numbers say it all as he threw 30 touchdowns and only four picks as the Gators won another national championship.
So, when people doubt his ability to be a successful quarterback in the NFL, what do you think Mr. Tebow will do?
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