So many reasons not to draft Tebow, but do it anyway Tim Tebow isn't in Kansas anymore. He isn't in Gainesville, either. No, he's in Mobile, Ala., preparing for the Senior Bowl before the eyes of NFL coaches, general managers and scouts. Ticket sales for the Senior Bowl went through the roof when the Florida Gators' quarterback announced he would play in the game. That might float Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver's boat, but forget about everybody else. Leave emotion at the door. This is about mechanics, this is about transitioning to the pro-style offense, this is about Tebow's shortcomings, about cold, hard facts. I'd still take the kid. Maybe not in the first round, maybe not in the second or third rounds, either, but I wouldn't blame anyone for taking him. I say that even though I know Tebow brings his throwing hand down to his ankle before his release. He throws sidearm sometimes, holds on to the ball too long and has taken most of his college snaps in the shotgun offense. Quarterbacks don't run up the middle in the NFL – period. And the talk about him being a Wildcat guy? Well, not enough speed, so I don't think so. I'd grab him anyway. I say that with names like Eric Crouch and Ken Dorsey rolling around in my brain. And a name like Danny Wuerffel, too, who was nearly as prolific at Florida as Tebow, and just as good a man. I'd grab Tim Tebow. I don't know if I'd make him and H-back or a tight end, but if there's a way, I take him. It's not about his 31-for-35 and 482 yards passing in the Sugar Bowl, or what Florida coach Urban Meyer said after that game, when he took up for his star. OK, maybe Meyer's comments resonated a little. "He's a winner," Meyer said. "And unless the job description changes at some other level of football, he's a winner, and he'll win at the next level, too. That's the way I feel about it." Tim Tebow wants to be an NFL quarterback. I'd give him the shot. Not for tickets, but for the off chance that he might re-create what he did in Gainesville. We're not talking about Eric Crouch here. We're talking about one of the best players in college football history, if not the best. We're talking about a work ethic that is otherworldly. We're talking about a leader. We're talking about a plus to any locker room or community. We're talking all those things. It will have to be the right fit. That's the thing. But I grab him. It will have to be a coach who is secure enough to take a chance, or who knows Meyer well enough to take a chance. To me, it would have to be someone like Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who is close to Meyer and already has a quarterback (name of Brady), so there wouldn't necessarily be any real pressure on Tebow. He could wait and learn and grow. I just know he would. I think of all the draft picks wasted by NFL teams. I'm not seeing Tebow on the Bucs or the Jaguars. OK, maybe the Jaguars. I'm not seeing Tebow facing Peyton Manning anytime soon. What I'm saying is that if I was a coach or a general manager, drafting Tebow after the first round might just turn into something good. He wants to be a quarterback. I think he'll get his shot. Maybe it won't work out. But Tebow has been doubted a lot during his life, believe it or not. He loves proving people wrong, albeit it with a smile on his face. He transcended mere talent in college. Only we're not in Gainesville anymore. I'd still grab him. Martin Fennelly, The Tampa Tribune 28 January 2010