Tebow and Bradford Face Quick Decisions on N.F.L. Draft

Tebow and Bradford Face Quick Decisions on N.F.L. Draft
By PETE THAMEL and THAYER EVANS
January 10, 2009

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — After spending the season as college football’s marquee stars, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford now hold the biggest off-season question in their hands.

Tebow, a junior, and Bradford, a redshirt sophomore, face a Jan. 15 deadline for nonseniors to declare for the National Football League draft. And while each is a Heisman Trophy winner and a homegrown star at his state’s university, they project much differently as N.F.L. prospects. Both have filed paperwork with the N.F.L. to see where they are likely to be picked in April’s draft. Two rabid fan bases will be waiting anxiously for their decisions.

Gil Brandt, a former Dallas Cowboys executive and an analyst for NFL.com, said he believed Bradford would be a top-10 pick and Tebow would go in the lower half of the first round.

Tebow said on Thursday night that he felt a strong emotional pull to return to college but that he would determine what was best for his career and his family.

The decision may be trickier for Bradford.

One N.F.L. scout, who was granted anonymity because he is not permitted to talk publicly about draft prospects, said Bradford was a “no-brainer” overall No. 1 pick and compared him to Troy Aikman, the first pick in the 1989 draft.

“When you’ve watched him at Oklahoma over the years, he sticks out like a sore thumb,” said the scout. “He’s not a nickel-dime, dink-and-dunk guy. He throws those deep balls as good as anyone I’ve ever seen.”

Bradford is ranked No. 1 by some draft experts and there are only minor questions about him. Bradford, 21, has not quite filled in his 6-foot-4 frame — he is 218 pounds — and Oklahoma’s offense has kept him from facing much pass-rush pressure. Still, the positives are considered more impressive.

“He’s got the size, the arm, the feet and the release,” said the scout. “He makes good decisions. He seems like a really easy guy to evaluate.”

Another factor that may sway Bradford is Oklahoma’s losing four senior offensive linemen. And as many as three of Oklahoma’s top four receivers may not return either, meaning that Bradford would have a drastically different cast around him. The Sooners scored a modern N.C.A.A. record 716 points last season and Bradford threw for 50 touchdowns with 8 interceptions.

Bradford’s most telling comment this week might have come when he was asked if he would be watching the N.F.L. playoffs.

“I’m not a big N.F.L. guy,” he said. “I don’t watch a lot of it.”

After Thursday night’s loss, Bradford said he was unsure of his future.

“Obviously, I’ll think about it within the next week,” he said. “It’s something that I haven’t put a lot of concentration into it.”

Tebow’s N.F.L. future is a bit murkier. The scout, who said he was not high on Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, an early entry for the draft, said that Tebow could be the second best quarterback prospect but one with glaring deficiencies. Some have speculated that Tebow could end up as a fullback or a tight end because of his 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame, but the scout disagreed. He sees Tebow as a quarterback to be looked at skeptically because he is not a natural passer.

The scout said the bottom line comparison between the two is that Bradford made big plays with his arm this season and Tebow made them with his legs. Tebow was No. 4 nationally in passing efficiency entering Thursday night’s game and finished the season with 30 touchdown passes and 4 interceptions.

“I think he’ll be back,” Florida’s offensive coordinator, Dan Mullen, said. “He’ll make a very educated decision. He’ll look at all the options, and if he’s a first-rounder, he’ll probably leave, but if he’s not, he won’t.”

Florida Coach Urban Meyer would obviously like Tebow to return, but believes he will be a fine N.F.L. quarterback.

“When I hear people say, ‘I wonder if he can play in the N.F.L.’, then I don’t know what football is,” Meyer said. “I don’t have any idea what happens in the N.F.L. Scoring points and taking care of the ball, third-down efficiency are important. He can play at any level, anywhere.”

While scouts express few doubts about Bradford’s readiness, Brandt said Bradford’s value would be even higher in next year’s draft.

“This is a guy that needs to stay in school,” Brandt said. “He’s really started to develop in the last year.”

After a season of dominating their sport’s headlines, Bradford and Tebow will hold the sport in sway until they decide.

they should both stay right where they are . TELL BRADFORD the story of sophamore TOMMY MADDOX . it killed his carrer .

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Originally Posted by keith m. klink

they should both stay right where they are . TELL BRADFORD the story of sophamore TOMMY MADDOX . it killed his carrer .

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Well he did something no other QB did post college...won an XFL championship. :smug:

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Originally Posted by keith m. klink

they should both stay right where they are . TELL BRADFORD the story of sophamore TOMMY MADDOX . it killed his carrer .

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Michael Vick would attest to that if he hadn't taken his anger out on some dogs instead.

Touchdown Tommy! Man, that guy just had horrible luck in the pros.

Looks like Tebow elected to stay another year...

Florida Gators Country » Football » Tebow: I shall return

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Originally Posted by Nick

Some have speculated that Tebow could end up as a fullback or a tight end because of his 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame,

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Too bad Martz is not HC he might have taken another QB with our #2 pick and tried turning him into our FB.:D

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Originally Posted by RamsSB99

Too bad Martz is not HC he might have taken another QB with our #2 pick and tried turning him into our FB.:D

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Great! A way better improvement than Dan "I can't block anyone" Kreider!:D:D:D