From ESPN;

On the heels of an impressive workout at Florida's pro day, league sources say that Tim Tebow is among those players who have been invited to New York for the NFL Draft, April 22-24. 

There are a few reasons for this; the NFL could think that Tebow will be drafted in the first round. Or because the first round is being televised for the first time in primetime, they wanted the most loved/hated college player of his generation there for ratings. At best, Tebow is drafted in the early first round. At worst, he doesn't get drafted and has to go back to the hotel at the end of the night.

Todd McShay was just on ESPN saying he was impressed by Tebow today, but still wouldn't draft him in the first two rounds. McShay deserves your scorn, but no matter the source, the story remains the same for Tebow; we really like him, just not as a first round draft pick.

More photos » Phil Sandlin - AP

4 days ago: Tim Tebow, left, talks with Cleveland Brown's president Mike Holmgren, during Pro Day in Gainesville, Fla., Wednesday, March 17, 2010. Tebow returned to Florida Field to unveil his new throwing motion for NFL coaches, general managers and scouts. It could be key to where the former Heisman Trophy winner gets drafted next month. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

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The best way to describe Tim Tebow today at Gators Pro Day is "push". That is he didn't impress, but he hasn't gotten worse either. His motion is clearly different, but it is good enough for the NFL?

Michael Wright of the Florida Times-Union was there and said, "Tebow worked out one kink and developed another. There's still a small loop and now a bit of a pause in motion." Also, Tebow threw low when he scrambled, resulting in mediocre accuracy.

There were NFL teams with quarterback questions in attendance. Mike Holmgren and Eric Mangini of the Browns were in Gainesville, as was Carolina's John Fox. The Panthers' head coach told the Palm Beach Post's Kyle Maistri that to assess Tebow, "you got to look at his whole body of work." The Orlando Sentinel's Andrea Adelson said that Fox and Bucs' coach Raheem Morris were impressed by Tebow. The Panthers also showed interest in Carlos Dunlap. With his past problems, Dunlap would be a good fit with the Raiders of the NFC.

Joe Haden improved his 40 times to 4.41 and 4.39, which are not great, but not awful like at the Combine. Brandon Spikes however did himself no favors as he ran a 5.0 and 5.05. Spikes is one of my all time favorite Gators, but it is becoming apparent that his fitness level has dropped since his junior year. His injuries during this season might have slowed him down, but no linebacker should run a five flat 40. The only other excuse was wet ground in Gainesville.

With the exit of the Tebow class and elite juniors, Spring Football begins across the street from the Stadium. Urban Meyer is expected to be there, but will not address the media, which will surely cause everyone to get their panties in a bunch. But, it seems to me that Meyer doesn't want every media clutch to develop into, "What the hell is going on here?" With Steve Addazio handling those duties, Addazio can issue a few "no comments" and force the questions into football.

Since Meyer hasn't talked openly about his situation, no one has considered that practice may energize Meyer. 2010 will be a relatively stress free season. Think about it; every season Meyer has been at UF has been a killer year. First it was, "Will the spread work in the SEC?" Then the first championship and making Tebow a Heisman winner in 2007. The last two seasons have been all about winning the National Championship. With John Brantley (who does not have the Tebow following yet), Meyer can develop a quarterback and offense without the demand of winning 13 games. A division title is a definite possibility, but we can't play for the SEC title every season.

Not only is the offense a year away and under possible renovation to a run first or pro-style set, the defense is at least a year away. The Baby Gators like Hurricane Orr and Ronald Powell will not be able to dominate. With the changes on the defensive staff, it is important that a familiarity is created between coaches and players. Instead of determining who plays where and when, the players need to learn to trust their new coaches and the coaches need to learn how to push their guys for maximum results.

As if Tim Tebow needed something else to hurt his draft stock. From the Palm Beach Post;

Tebow scored slightly below average for an NFL quarterback on the Wonderlic test, a 12-minute, 50-question exam given at the Combine that assesses a person's learning and problem-solving abilities.

Tebow scored a 22 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test, an NFL source told the Post Wednesday. The score falls slightly below the average score for an NFL quarterback, which is 24. But the average for 30 quarterbacks slated to start in 2010 is even higher, at 28.5. And the average score among the past seven Super Bowl winners is a 30.1. 

There could be several reasons for scoring 22 out of 50. Tebow didn't prepare for the test, he's a bad test taker (I seem to remember this being a criticism of home schooled kids and the FCAT), or he isn't smart enough for the position (Tebow was better than the nationwide average of 21 or 20). However, the Wonderlic, like every IQ test, is criticized for too much focus on one thing and not enough focus on something else.

The Post story also mentions that Tebow would be 25th among current NFL starters according to his score. The real problem isn't the score, but where he finished. Tebow needs to make people think he is an elite quarterback prospect. Finishing in the Wonderlic behind Sam Bradford (36), Colt McCoy (25) and Jimmy Clausen (23) won't help. It's just another blemish on Tebow's resume.

Tim Tebow has always said he needed only 1 of 32 teams to think he is an NFL-caliber quarterback. However, it is to his financial benefit to get four or five teams to think that, creating competition and a nice contract on Draft Day.

Following Florida's Pro Day on March 17, Tebow will have workouts with the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks, two teams that have immediate needs at quarterback. The Buffalo's Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick clearly are not good enough to take the Bills back to the playoffs. Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly has also endorsed Tebow. The Bills have the 9th and 41st picks. Some Bills fans think Tebow is Alex Smith 2.0 because both were coached by Urban Meyer. This is like saying Danny Wuerffel and Stephen Garcia are similar because both were coached by Steve Spurrier.

In Seattle, the Seahawks have Matt Hasselbeck but just traded long time backup Seneca Wallace to the Browns. That nearly confirms the Seahawks will take a QB. The Seahawks have the 6th and 14th picks, making it unlikely they would take Tebow there since he has not convinced anyone he is a first round pick. However, Seattle picks 40th, which is a possible landing spot for Tebow.

The Panthers released Jake Delhomme last week, making Matt Moore their "Quarterback Of The Future" or at least the "Quarterback Who Won't Throw Every Pass To The Other Team." Carolina has the 48th and 78th picks, which they could use on a quarterback. Plus, Tebow would feel at home in the Bible Belt, even if North Carolina is bluer than the rest of the Deep South. Speaking for myself, I would root hard against Tebow if he was on Carolina. As a Bucs fan, the Panthers are the Oakland Raiders of the NFC, and get away with it because they have neon blue uniforms and play in front of a bunch of credit card and banking executives. But on the road, Panther fans are so bad, they make Saints fans look like the Kennedys. They had their team trainer giving steroids to players, who were never punished. Oh, and it's the team of Rae Carruth too. 

With Ben Roethlisberger being unable to keep his pants on, maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers will enter the Tebow Race. Since last season, we and others have compared Tebow to Big Ben. And Mike Tomlin has done it too.

The recent news, in addition to having only former Oregon QB Dennis Dixon behind Roethlisberger, could make the Steelers take a second look at Tebow. He would also fit into the mold of Dixon and Ben with being a tall, mobile guy. Pittsburgh has the 18th and 52nd picks.

Of course, the team with the most to gain and lose, is the Jaguars. Tebow is the hometown boy and played for the college team of choice in Jacksonville. Plus, he might singlehandedly keep the Jags from being sold and moving to Los Angeles. (However, owner Wayne Weaver continues to say he is committed to Jacksonville. Just like Howard Schultz's commitment to keeping the Sonics in Seattle.) The huge fan support of selecting Tebow is offset by the rebellion among some who think Tebow is not worth the pick. (Tangent: I don't think the owner of Draft15.com is a Jags fan and is instead just trying to make a buck selling tshirts. Nice job of finally getting around to supporting the local team, asshole.)

Tebow has always put a lot of pressure on himself, so saving the NFL in Jacksonville while kneecapping the qualified David Garrard, might be perfect for him. The huge problem is that Jax picks at 10th and 74th. If CJ Spiller (by the way, another North Florida kid) is available, the Jags can't pass him up. That means the Jags might have to mortgage their future to move back into the first round, all for a guy that could be a bust. For Jacksonville, Tebow is high risk but high reward if it works.

Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples wrote a story a few weeks ago about the Collegiate Athletic Select Hegemony (CASH). Under this plan, the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC would become 16-team super leagues and break away from the NCAA. It would not create a playoff system for college football, but the resulting money from bowl games and television coverage would mean that;

64 athletic departments would be completely self-sufficient; no chief executive would ever again have to explain to a state legislature why he needs government funds to build a softball stadium

This week, the Florida State Legislature began their annual session of being ideologues more worried about raising cash than governing for 60 days. Among the issues already discussed are building casinos and making sure there is money for people to get gun permits. Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Education is in a high stakes lottery for Federal education funding. That cash is essential as the Legislature has cut funding to education in Florida, including the University of Florida. It has gotten to the point that UF asks their alumni to lobby their legislators (who hate doing real work in an election year) in addition to paying for their usual lobbyists.

But, wait, what does politics have to do with college sports? Everything.

Staples' argument that the CASH system would make enough cash for universities to no longer use tax dollars for sports (I'm looking at you Doak Campbell Stadium) is a good one. We make fun of FSU for putting classrooms in Doak to pay for luxury suites, but a lot of schools have done similar things. Florida's University Athletic Association is unique in that it is self-sufficient. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is a state building, but renovations and luxury boxes have been bought and paid for by the UAA. The UAA also has given $53 million to UF's academics since 1990 and $6 million in UF's last budget.

That money is now necessary for Florida's survival as UF faces a similar battle as other public institutions across the country; state legislatures cutting funding as education costs rise. It is so bad in California, home of six of the top-15 US News and World Report Public Universities, that there have been wide scale protests. California has an epic budget hole, but every state is trying to cut back after spending like junkies in the last decade. It cuts across the aisle too, as Republicans have found their conservative roots again and President Obama considers freezing some spending. 

As funding drops, college sports income is going through the roof. The SEC on CBS/ESPN package and Big Ten Network are cash cows. The elites of the Pac-10 are even considering adding two teams to play a conference championship game. All of this is happening as the NCAA considers breaking their $6 billion contract with CBS for March Madness for an even bigger contract. 

Staples' system makes sense because the four super leagues do not have to share with 120 football teams or 340 basketball teams. CASH also creates marquee matchups every weekend. Instead of out-of-conference Charleston Southern opening Florida's season, UF goes out-of-conference against Clemson. The O'Dome would see sellout crowds again with conference rivals Oklahoma and West Virginia. The 64 schools would have to build facilities just to hold the cash they take in.

At Florida, this means the UAA giving more to academics, which also encourages academic freedom as UF can do whatever they want with the sports cash. At schools where there is no barrier between academics and athletics, sports cash means a new research hospital, 100 new professors, or more scholarships. It should also mean public funds that universities should have gotten can be funneled into elementary, middle and high schools.

Staples does not address this, choosing to look more at the possibility that CASH creates Triple-A basketball and football programs. He also wonders if the university presidents would give up on amateurism and enter a system that prints money. I think they would, once they understand how much money the schools could make. The more money schools make, the more money school presidents make. Universities will still rely on some public funding, but their fortunes won't rise and fall with the housing market or political trends. 

More photos » Dave Martin - AP

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Tim Tebow's appeal has always been that he is a hard working kid, who loves Jesus, his Mom and Dad and the Gators. We don't know that much about Tebow (or any Gator), so we don't know how much is legit and how much is a facade. We accept everything is legit, but since Tebow has left college, we can become more curious. Especially about his actions leading up to the NFL Draft.

People have made money off Tebow for a while, from UF selling No. 15 jerseys to those awful "I Heart T Bow" shirts. Maybe then we shouldn't be surprised that Tebow is charging $160 for an autograph Saturday in Jacksonville. That $160 does include a free Bible verse, but you have to pay $25 extra for "06/08 Champs" next to Tebow's signature. A "portion" or "some" of the proceeds will go towards the Tim Tebow Foundation.

One question we should ask Tebow is why he is charging $160 for an autograph. And he has to answer about his charity. For instance; how much of that $160 is actually helping people and how much will pay for the fancy website and staff? A "portion" and "some" could be 1% or 99%. (As a reference, here is the most recent tax information for the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association.) Tebow is an adult and he can handle this stuff.

Tebow can apparently also handle speaking engagements, making a documentary film and training for the NFL Draft. Of all this stuff, only one thing benefits Tebow long term; the Draft. Instead of spending every waking moment in the gym, trying to secure millions of dollars, Tebow is being pulled in every direction. It seems clear that either Tebow or his handlers think NFL success is guaranteed, so it's no big deal to spend time at Daytona instead of in training. Or, and this is far more dangerous, his handlers want to make cash on Tebow before his star power runs out.

Tebow and his handlers have every right to make as much money as humanly possible. But like the family who buys a $250,000 house because they think they will always afford it, they are narrow minded. In their minds, it won't matter if Tebow is drafted in the third round, because he will be successful anyway. But any NFL fan can tell you that players can be a victim of circumstance. Quarterbacks get stuck behind awful offensive lines and fail. Defensive ends get double teams and bad stat lines because their linemen suck. What happens if Tebow is drafted by a team with a long term quarterback, like New England? Does he earn the league minimum and hope to be the next Matt Cassel? What if he becomes a bigger, stronger Joey Harrington? Will Tebow's time spent in other endeavors have had a negative impact? That's another question that could be asked of Tebow.

I mentioned at the top that we really don't know a lot about Tebow. For instance, it is possible that Tebow does not want to be an NFL player. He has a higher calling and he had to wait for his UF career to end to actually commit to it. Tebow continues to talk about how badly he wants to become an NFL quarterback. But he is not going to do that by spending the weeks before the Draft working as an ATM for his handlers.

OHMYGOD, Joe Haden will never play in the NFL after running a 4.57 and 4.6 at the NFL Combine today. All of those NFL scouts are going to see a 4.57 instead of an All-American cornerback. Haden should not have gone to Indy and now might not get drafted. This is just like that time Haden had to run through the entire Georgia team in the 2008 Florida-Georgia game and got tackled, clearly because he was slow, not because he was running at them.

Or you know, Haden could run a 4.4 forty at Gator Pro Day after he decides to not start his run by looking like he is taking a dump. 

S The Major Wright (Scheduled to work out with Group 10 or 11 on Tuesday, March 2)

Size and Statistics: 6-foot, 204 pounds. 165 total tackles, 10 passes defended, eight interceptions in three seasons.

In 140 characters or less: He can hit, but is he ready for the NFL?

Strengths: Reads routes well and has fixed the problems he had with pursuit angles early in his career. The Major can get to the ball quickly and make a big hit when he gets there.

Weaknesses: Wright played in a very good defense that could have covered any flaws. He also played deep upfield, which gave him the advantage of seeing the play develop. He may not have that in the pros. While his angles are better, he can still over pursue. Wright can sell out for the big hit, instead of the safe play.

Character: Never been a problem for Florida and embraced his position, endearing himself to Gator fans fond of another head hunting safety. While UF fans hoped that he would stay, a logjam at safety made it easier for UF and more sense for Wright. Had he stayed, Wright risked devaluing his draft stock.

Where will he go: Some mock drafts have him in the middle rounds, others have him as undrafted. Since Wright loved late Redskins safety Sean Taylor (both wore 21), we will slide in The Major with Washington in round five.