Tim Tebow out to prove himself to NFL scouts

FAIRHOPE, Ala. - John Lennon would have been jealous of Tim Tebow's following on Monday afternoon.

When he stepped off the bus, people screamed. They begged for autographs. At least one person cried at the sheer sight of the former Florida Gators' all-world quarterback during the first day of Senior Bowl practice at the Fairhope Sports Complex.

He's got the unwavering fan support, but as the main draw for this year's game, he came here to make believers out of NFL scouts who have doubts about his game.

Photo Gallery: Tebow and others practice for Senior Bowl

As one of three quarterbacks on the South team roster, the evaluation process started on Monday as Tebow worked with Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach David Lee, a Pensacola native and Woodham High graduate. The Dolphins staff is coaching the South team.

"(Monday) was good," Tebow said as a throng of reporters converged around him. "It's all new guys out here, throwing to new receivers, getting snaps from new centers so it was a lot to get adjusted to, but it was fun."

The practice was the first significant step toward Tebow's future in football. The projections for where Tebow will be selected in April's NFL Draft are all over the map.

Some say his intangibles - he helped Florida to two national championships - are too big to ignore, making him a sure-fire first-round pick.

Many analysts have Tebow being selected as high as No. 11 overall to the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars.

Others say his mechanics, most notably his throwing motion, are not NFL caliber. Some, including ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., have suggested that Tebow would be better suited as a tight end in the NFL.

"We had a chance to work a little bit with him (Monday), I think his fundamentals and mechanics are really solid," said Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano. "I thought he did some good things and I think his delivery is fine."

Lee was unable to answer questions about Tebow. The Miami Dolphins, under policy mandated by team president Bill Parcells, do not permit any of their assistant coaches to conduct interviews, including this week.

Because of the fluidity of his draft stock, many were surprised to see Tebow accept the Senior Bowl invitation to begin with, knowing his game would be poked and prodded by all 32 NFL teams for six days.

"That's one reason why I'm here," Tebow said "But I never really think of (my stock) as going up or falling. I really look at it as I'm here. I'm very confident in myself. I can just go out here and play the game that I've played since I was 6 years old. I don't worry about how high I can go, or how low I can go. I'm not worrying about if my draft stock falls. I am very confident person."

Tebow, who ran Florida's offense out of the shotgun formation, struggled a bit on Monday, dropping several snaps from under center and throwing some wobbly spirals. He continued to bring the ball below his waistline on several throws, a hitch that scares many NFL decision makers.

San Diego Chargers general manager A.J. Smith, who was in attendance during Monday's practice, doesn't think the transition to a pro-style offense will affect Tebow much.

"I'm sure there is a bunch of stuff (to change)," Smith said. "Some athletic guys can make that transition easy, so I don't think it's a real big deal."

As he puts his skills on display starting this week, Tebow should begin to narrow his draft prospects.

We just don't know if that will be a good thing or a bad thing.

"At the end of the whole thing, it's really about how you play on film. It really is," Sparano said. "It's about what happens over the next couple of months with combines and individual workouts. There's a lot of evaluations that have to take place, this is just the first step, but a big step."

Additional Facts - What the scouts are saying

NFLDraftScout.com