What they're saying about Tebow
March, 16, 2010
3/16/10
12:00
PM ET
By ESPN.com staff | ESPN.com
Tim Tebow: Will he make it in the NFL?
Florida QB Tim Tebow is working on changing his throwing mechanics as he awaits the NFL draft. ESPN analysts and football experts offer their takes on Tebow, who will be evaluated by NFL scouts at his pro day Wednesday. NFL Blog Network: Where Tebow might land
| Analyst | Position | Comment |
|---|---|---|
 Eric Allen | ESPN analyst | Tim Tebow has made an unbelievable mark on football in his four years at University of Florida. I think the coaching staff dropped the ball because they had plenty of opportunity to get him ready to face the NFL. With limited time under center, timing issues and off-base throwing mechanics, it will be very difficult to be a difference-maker on Sunday. He will not be a starter, but more of a project guy with options to play. |
 Lomas Brown | ESPN analyst | I'm a little biased as a Florida alum, but I love the intangibles Tim Tebow brings to the table. I've been around quarterbacks with perfect mechanics, but they were not successful in the league. You have to have the total package to be a great quarterback. Tebow is willing to try different things, he's open-minded and extremely athletic. As a former offensive lineman, I used to love an athletic quarterback who could avoid a sack. Tebow has outstanding potential and his upside is greater than his downside. |
 Tedy Bruschi | ESPN analyst | I don't see Tim Tebow as a franchise quarterback. I see him as a football player. He can do many things for a team because of his ability and desire. I envision him as a utility player for an offense and a great locker room presence for a team that needs young leadership. He will have a future in the NFL. If I had multiple picks in the second or third round, I would take him in a heartbeat. |
 Keith Bulluck | Titans linebacker | You have to put Tim Tebow in the right system for him to excel. In college, he was able to complete passes down field without a problem. In the NFL, the defenses are very complex, and this is where he will struggle. |
 Cris Carter | ESPN analyst | The NFL teams that are doing well are all throwing the ball well. It's not a quarterback's league, but it is a passing league, and for that reason I do not see Tim Tebow as a starting QB in his first three years. If he is drafted, his team will have to have patience during his development period. Tebow reminds me a lot of Pat White, who was drafted by the Miami Dolphins. Both quarterbacks are leaders and competitors. |
 Trent Dilfer | ESPN analyst | So what I would do with Tebow is take him in the third or fourth round. I would commit to continuing to develop him as a passer and change his mechanics. But I would promise him and the team that he would not step foot on a football field on Sundays for two years. If that can take place in today's NFL, I believe Tebow one day down the road can be a successful quarterback. |
 Herm Edwards | ESPN analyst | Tim Tebow has great leadership qualities, great work ethic and he knows what it takes to win. Now, all he needs is an opportunity to perform in a system that is conducive to how he plays football. Tebow needs to be used on the move, maybe a dropback quarterback or play-action type of guy. It would be too much pressure to make him a starting QB. The 49ers' Alex Smith and Tebow come from the same system. Smith had a lot of talent in college and was a first-round pick and now five years later he is a starting QB. If you're betting on a guy, you want it to be on a guy like Tim Tebow. |
 Bruce Feldman | ESPN The Magazine senior writer | I'm not suggesting Tebow will ever be Peyton Manning or Philip Rivers. But could he be Byron Leftwich (another guy with a loooong throwing motion) at least? My guess is yes. Tebow also will be an asset in the red zone and in short-yardage situations because he will give defenses something else to worry about. |
 Jon Gruden | ESPN analyst | I think Tebow is going to be a tremendous pro. He might need to go to Triple-A for a while to work on some of his mechanics, and he might not be a starter right away, but in a very short period of time he's going to be an excellent NFL player. |
 Merril Hoge | ESPN analyst | Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." Tim Tebow has demonstrated excellent habits throughout his career and he will need them more than ever now. Playing quarterback in the NFL requires a superior skill set than it takes to play in college. ... I believe he makes it in the NFL as a backup and package player but not an every-down QB. |
 Mike Holmgren | Browns president | The things we are looking at right now is, he played in a system offense that used to be unique and is a little bit different than what we ask quarterbacks to do in our league most of the time The second thing is, his [throwing] motion has been talked about a little bit. It's always been my opinion that is the most difficult thing to change in any quarterback. I've read he has a lot of guys coaching him up on that and he is trying to change it. It's really hard to do, I think, particularly in pressure situations. |
 Scott McCloughan | 49ers GM | The reason you're drafting him is because he's been a good football player. Don't completely change what he's done in the past that's made him successful. |
 Todd McShay | Scouts Inc. | Make no mistake about it, the team that drafts Tebow will do so looking at him as a developmental project. However, we do not see him even competing for a starting job until the 2013 season, and because of that he remains a late-third-round prospect in our opinion. |
 Mark Schlereth | ESPN analyst | I look at Tim Tebow as a football player, and that's one of the highest compliments I could pay a guy. Given the right circumstances and given the time to learn his craft at the NFL level, I don't think there's any question that he could be a successful QB. But here's his value in the first couple of years when he's probably not playing a lot -- he's going to be running a scout team situation and he's going to be making that defense better. They're going to ask him to run the Wildcat quarterback and he's going to be flying around the football field giving the defense an unbelievable look. An average Joe fan never sees that. |
 Steve Spurrier | South Carolina coach | You can't judge courage and the intangibles. And Tim has that. I have no doubt he'll be successful in the NFL. |
 Kordell Stewart | ESPN analyst | Tim Tebow is extremely athletic. He's a passionate player who can adapt to any situation and that's what has made him so successful thus far. The NFL is not a trial-and-error league, it's a "get it done now" type of league. Is Tebow capable of stepping into a starting quarterback position now? No. But with determination, he will be able to achieve his goal of playing in the NFL sooner than later. |
 Seth Wickersham | ESPN The Magazine writer | The Tebow of today will not be the Tebow of 2013, if he enters the right situation. I'm not advocating Tebow as a top-10 pick -- or even a first-rounder. He's got potential, and you can't dismiss him so quickly. If Tebow is drafted by an open-minded quarterback guru like Mike Shanahan, Norv Turner, Bill Belichick or Josh McDaniels -- a patient teacher who will make Tebow his pet project -- how can you believe any scout who says he doesn't have a chance to turn out? |
 Marcellus Wiley | ESPN analyst | Tim Tebow will definitely make it as a quarterback in the NFL. He is willing to do anything to position himself to succeed. Is he better than the worst QB to ever start in the NFL? Yes. His pedigree is unmatched, but he is not a slam dunk. I don't see Tebow being drafted high. Actually, I think it's better for him to go in one of the middle rounds because it takes some of the pressure off of him to be a starter. Being drafted in a later round affords him the opportunity to be somewhat "under the radar." |
 Darren Woodson | ESPN analyst | Tim Tebow's chances of succeeding in the NFL are great. People talk about moving him to a different position like tight end or H-Back, but this guy has been playing the quarterback position since he was 8 years old and he's been successful. Michael Vick faced the same type of scrutiny early on that Tebow is facing and he was still able to thrive. Tebow doesn't have the same type of speed like Vick but because of his tenacity and will to win, he will transition well into the quarterback position. The speed of the game will catch him by surprise as he will have to adjust to the timing of the routes and perfect a quicker release. |
 Sam Wyche | Former NFL coach | If this guy can't be a starting quarterback in the NFL, then I was in the wrong profession for a lot of years. |
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