-- Quote from every single Football Analyst / Expert

This seems to have become a definite fact in the mind of everyone who ever thought about this year's Heisman Trophy race.  Most people did not come up with this thought themselves.  It just sounded good and people decided to go with it. 

I think that Darren McFadden will be one of the Top 3 NFL rushers from 2008-2015, and make at least 4 Pro Bowls.  So I'm not saying that McFadden isn't going to be a star, but I don't buy that he's going to be a much better player than Tebow.  Here's why:

• 1. ADRIAN PETERSON IS FRESH ON EVERYONE'S MIND: Peterson's success as a rookie and the fact that McFadden reminds many of Peterson has resulted in people assuming that McFadden will duplicate Peterson's success. But for every Adrian Peterson that become instant stars, there are two Reggie Bush's who look like can't miss NFL performers who just don't pan out.

• 2. PEOPLE THINK LESS OF TEBOW BECAUSE HE RAN FOR 22 TOUCHDOWNS: Ironically, Tebow's tremendous rushing ability actually lowers people's opinions on how good an NFL passer he will be. If Tebow was only "normally mobile" and did not have a freakish combination of strength and speed, people would be comparing him to QBs like Jay Cutler. Cutler has a rocket arm, good accuracy, and can scramble when needed. If you take Jay Cutler (10 pick in the draft, 9^th Rated Passer in the NFL) and add Tebow's strength and legs you get a Top 5 NFL QB.

• 3. HE'S ONLY A SOPHOMORE: Because he's so good already, people act like Tim Tebow can't possibly get better. But the fact is, he's only a sophomore. Male athletes peak at 26-28 so Tebow is going to get stronger and faster. Plus, he's got a tremendous work ethic and works year round to improve any shortcomings. Running Backs often are polished gems the second they step on the NFL field. McFadden likely won't get better with each passing year in the NFL, if anything he'll get worse with the more hits he takes. A QB like Tebow may not have instant success (what QB does?) but he can end up being a better player at 30 than he was at 25, you can't say that about a RB.

• 4. HIS GAME IS NOT RELIANT ON RUNNING, JUST THE THREAT: Despite rushing for more touchdowns than Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker in a single season of the SEC, Tim Tebow does not have to run to be great. I do accept that he needs to have the ability to run to be as great as he is, but just the threat of plowing forward in goal line and short yardage situations is all you need to draw defenders in the box and open up opportunities in the passing game. Baltimore's Rex Ryan called a game losing timeout instead of letting Tom Brady QB sneak on 4^th and 1. Why? Because the defense needs to carefully plan to defend a QB so good in that situation. I don't care if Tim Tebow only averages 6 carries and 20 yards per game in the NFL. I know that to contain him, defenses will keep 7 or 8 men in the box and Tebow has the accuracy to get the ball to open receivers.

• 5. LONGEVITY AND WORK ETHIC: I mention above that Tebow's only a sophomore and with his work ethic he will get better next year. Some QBs don't have the mentality to be great and get better (think Jeff George, Ryan Leaf, Michael Vick) while others combine physical gifts with the drive to get better (Brett Favre, John Elway). I don't know him personally, but everything looks like Tebow is cut from the Favre / Elway mold and not Ryan Leaf / Jeff George.

• 6. FREAKISH PHYSICAL ABILITY: Once every decade there are players in sports who display a transcendent combination of size and skill. LeBron James is an example of that. A guy who naturally had 50 lbs of muscle more than any other kid his age. In baseball Mickey Mantle was that kind of player before his knee injuries. Tebow was that kind of teenager. No one thought LeBron could step in Day 1 and physically dominate 28 year old NBA Forwards, but that's exactly what he did because he's just as tall, stronger, and faster. While conventional thinking tells you that a QB can't play physically in the NFL without getting killed, maybe Tebow can. I know he hurt his shoulder and broke a wrist this year so I'm not advising Tebow run like a full-back, I do think that he could be the first QB to be able to selectively run with a bruising style in the NFL. College players are getting bigger and stronger every year. The biggest problem for college players is adapting to the speed of the NFL and not necessarily the physical strength of the players. Because Tebow isn't a speedster he may have an easier time transitioning his QB rushing style than a traditional running QB.

So if McFadden plays for 10 NFL Seasons and from 2008-2015, he averages 1,500 Rushing Yards and 12 TDs per season he will be in the Hall of Fame.  However, there is plenty of reason to think Tebow can average 3,800 yards passing, 500 rushing yards, 24 passing TDs, 8 rushing TDs, and complete 60-65% of his passes.  Given how much more impact a QB can have on the game I'm thinking that in 2020 people Tim Tebow will be considered a better NFL player than Darren McFadden.