I don't like Tim Tebow.
I didn't like his anti-abortion ad that aired during the Super Bowl. I don't like his barking, made-for-TV, clichéd style of "leadership" — I much prefer the quiet, lead-by-example guys like Tom Brady and Eli Manning. I'm annoyed just about any time he gets in front of a television camera and has something to say — the guy preaches more than Kurt Warner (and that's saying something).
But that said, I think he is going to be a good NFL quarterback. When a player has enjoyed success at just about every level he's ever been at, and when he has the track record that Tebow has — two national championships, a Heisman trophy, a plethora of SEC and school records — I find it difficult to just dismiss him completely.
Yes, Tebow's got a lot to learn. He's got to practice three- and five-step drops. He has to rework his throwing motion and get the ball out of his hand more quickly. But these aren't the most monumental tasks in the world. There was another quarterback who reworked his throwing motion coming out of college a few years ago … His name was Peyton Manning. He has gone on to win four MVPs (and counting).
I'm not saying Tebow isn't a project. He most certainly is, and by no means will he be ready to start as a rookie in the NFL. And I'm also not saying the guy is a first-round pick. Projects don't go in the first round of the draft, and if they do, they usually end up having the career path of J.P. Losman, who played most of last year for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. The expectations of a first-round pick can be too much, especially if they are thrust into the limelight too quickly.
But in the late second or early third round, I don't see a problem with selecting Tebow. The upside is just too much to ignore. You're telling me he couldn't eventually make the Buffalo Bills a much better team (and sell a lot more tickets while he's at it)?
In sports, scouts and executives spend a lot of time focusing on people's physical attributes and whether or not they fit the prototype of a certain position. That's why guys like Ty Lawson and DeJuan Blair were taken so low in last year's NBA Draft — and yet they're both key contributors on playoff teams. Jameer Nelson, despite leading St. Joseph's to an undefeated regular-season record in his senior college season, fell to No. 20 in the draft. Now he's arguably the second most important player on a championship contender.
In baseball circles, Dustin Pedroia was always viewed as too small to play professionally, and Jason Giambi was too fat and slow. Both have won MVP awards.
In the NFL, Wes Welker has caught 346 passes for 3,688 yards in the past three years — all despite going undrafted. Tom Brady, three-time Super Bowl champion, was a sixth-round draft choice, and Shannon Sharpe, one of the best tight ends ever, was a seventh-rounder.
Now, obviously none of the above cases prove that Tebow will have similar success in the NFL — all of those players are exceptions to the rule. But the point is that maybe the rules shouldn't be quite so hard and fast.
Tebow enjoyed a lot of advantages in college; he had a great team, a great coach and a great system. But it's not like I could've played for the Gators and been just as good.
Tebow was one of the top college recruits coming out of high school for a reason — because he's got the ability. He showed that over four years at Florida, and now he just has to work out a few kinks to make the next step. If I were an NFL executive, I'd give him that chance.
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David Heck is a senior majoring in philosophy. He can be reached at David.Heck@tufts.edu.
