I can't remember ever seeing anything like this Tim Tebow "phenomenon" that is going on now with the draft just one day away. Most people know the story by now. When it comes to the intangibles (leadership, desire to win, coachability, on/off field personality), every team in the league would take him with the first pick in the draft. But despite having better college numbers than, say, either of the Mannings, no one wants to waste a pick on him as a QB.
So where does that leave us? Let's look at the teams that absolutely do not need a QB right now. New Orleans (Brees), San Diego (Rivers), Dallas (Romo), Green Bay (Rogers), NY Giants (Eli), Atlanta (Ryan), Baltimore (Flacco), NY Jets (Sanchez) and Detroit (Stafford).
I left a couple of teams off that list that might surprise most. Indianapolis and New England. These two teams obviously have two of the best QB's in the game in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Peyton is 34, and Brady, while only 32, has been getting beat up recently. Both of these teams have been outstanding at finding and drafting talent in the later rounds of the draft, and both of these teams could afford to draft Tebow and let him learn behind two of the best QB's ever for a few years.
How about some teams that are absolutely horrible in their QB situation that really can't sit around and wait for Tebow to develop? Buffalo (Brian Brohm), Oakland (Gradowski) and San Francisco (Smith).
OK, so that is now 12-teams that I'm pretty sure wouldn't draft Tebow unless he was still sitting there in the 4th round.
As for the other teams in the league, here's how I think they'd play it (listed in order of when they draft, and excluding the teams I've already mentioned).
St. Louis Rams: If they don't take Stafford with their first pick and go with Suh, the Rams would have to take a QB with their 2nd pick, but I'm not sure they'd go with Tebow just based on how they need a QB NOW.
Tampa Bay Bucs: They seem to be pretty set on seeing what Freeman can do, so I don't see them taking Tebow.
Washington Redskins: Now this is an intriguing pick. Again, I don't think they'd do it first round, but could see it happen with their 2nd round pick. They have McNabb to hold down the fort for a few years and then hand over the franchise to Tebow.
Kansas City Chiefs: This team is kind of in no-mans land with their QB situation. There are too many questions around Cassel, and I think in that situation you don't bring in a player like Tebow.
Seattle Seahawks: This is a team that I believe might be aggressive in getting Tebow. I don't have anything to base this on other than a gut feeling. Matt Hasselback is on his last legs and might be able to squeeze one or two more years out. And with Pete Carrol coming in, I could really see this team take Tebow and give Carrol a couple of years to teach this kid the ropes of the position. The fact that they have the 6th AND 14th picks in the first round, I might actually be surprised if they don't take Tebow with that 14 pick.
Cleveland Browns: It's no secret that this team has a pretty shitty QB situation. It's also no secret that Mike Holmgren loves Tebow as a football player. The Browns have Jake Delhomme at QB right now, and just like Seattle, they could let Tebow learn for a year behind Delhomme. Their issue is do you take Tebow with the 7th pick, or hope he is still there for their 2nd round pick? I'd guess here that if the Browns want him, they will try to trade down to the last third of the first round, get another draft pick in the process and take Tebow there.
Oakland Raiders: This team is in such a disarray, I'd hate to see Tebow end up here. The Raiders have so many holes to fill, most people would think they'd focus on players that could help this year. But if any team is a wildcard in all of this, it's Al Davis and his Raiders. After all, when was the last time this team made a good pick in the first round?
Jacksonville Jaguars: With David Garrard as their starting QB, this team very much could use an upgrade at the position. And with the Florida ties, a lot of people are saying this could be a good fit. I'm not so sure with this one though. If you want your young QB to learn the mechanics of the position, do you really want him learning from Garrard?
Denver Broncos: This team does need an upgrade at QB, but with two young guys still trying to prove themselves (Orton and Quinn), adding a 3rd project at QB would be a messy situation.
Miami Dolphins: I might have just missed seeing it, but I have not seen much talk about Tebow and the Dolphins. But I think this is a pretty good fit here. No team excels like the Dolphins do in running the Wildcat, and just think how much better it could be with Tebow, an actual QB taking the snap? He has the rushing skills to just take off with the ball, and his current QB skills would open up the ability to pass out of the formation. The Dolphins currently have a young QB with Chad Henne, but the book is still out on him. I think Parcells is drooling over the chance to add Tebow to his roster. This might be a place where a 1st round pick makes sense.
Pittsburgh Steelers: This teams only QB issue is 'character'. For an owner like Rooney who takes pride in having a 'family' atmosphere in his team, these incidents by Ben Roethlisberger, one would think that he'd love to get someone like Tebow on his team. But Rooney lets his front office guys handle things so I don't see the Steelers taking Tebow just to get a character guy.
Cincinnati Bengals: This is another team I could see going after Tebow. Carson Palmer has been heading in the wrong direction, and the team will probably address the QB position. My thoughts with this team is they will go after Clausen in the first round instead of Tebow.
New England Patriots: As I mentioned above, I could see them taking Tebow, but not with their current first round pick. Watch out for any moves by this team trying to slide up in the 2nd round.
Philadelphia Eagles: This is a team in a transition phase. They have let a lot of big names go this offseason. I'm not saying it's a rebuilding year because they still seem to have a strong team, but I don't see them bringing in a QB in this draft.
Arizona Cardinals: This team needs to let Leinart develop and play this year so they can see what he can do. Adding any QB would be a bad decision for the Cardinals this year.
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have an above average QB in Tony Romo, and the only thing keeping him from being a top-tier QB is consistency. When he is on, it's VERY tough to stop him, so there is no need for Dallas to look at a QB right now.
Minnesota Vikings: This is one spot where taking Tebow actually makes sense. Tebow could watch and learn with Favre for a year, and possibly get some playing time in short-yardage or 'wildcat' formations.
When it comes down to it, this is my top three spots I think Tebow could end up:
1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Miami Dolphins (If they trade down)
3. New England Patriots.
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