We won’t find out at the scouting combine if Tim Tebow can throw. But we do know he can jump.
Tebow, the Florida quarterback who declined to participate in passing drills in Indianapolis, did participate in both the vertical jump and the broad jump. And he looked awfully good doing it.
Tebow posted a 38.5-inch vertical, which reportedly tied the all-time combine record for quarterbacks, previously set by Josh McCown. For the sake of comparison with another athletic quarterback, Rich Eisen noted on NFL Network that Michael Vick posted a 38-inch vertical at the 2001 combine.
Shortly after his record-tying vertical, Tebow also posted an impressive broad jump of nine feet, seven inches.
Of course, the obvious question is whether jumping ability is in any way relevant to assessing an NFL quarterback. What Tebow showed on Sunday morning is that he’s a good athlete, not a good quarterback. If anything, Tebow may have given some ammunition to those who believe he’s best suited to playing another position in the NFL.