The question wasn’t if Tim Tebow would go in the first round of the NFL Draft, but rather who would be stupid enough to select him there. Some poor franchise always ends up buying into the college hype, ignoring the experts’ advice that a player’s game won’t translate well into the NFL. When that player is also considered a saint of a human being who is ready to save the world, the infatuation grows that much more. Denver, an organization which has already seen character issues doom its chances, was the perfectly gullible candidate to earn the title of 2010 NFL Draft Dumbass.

Well before Denver took Tim Tebow at #25, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Tyson Alualu. Why is this relevant? Because Alualu’s high character is attributed to him becoming a shocking Top 10 selection. Even his agent Kenny Zuckerman, attempting to explain how his client was selected so high, said, “In this day and age, he’s just a solid guy. He’s married, he takes care of his kids, he goes to church, he goes to a great academic school. He just does it the right way and he was rewarded for that.”

So why aren’t the Jaguars, and not the Broncos, guilty of making the worst pick of the draft? It’s simple: We know what Tebow is all about. His games have been on display for all to see. While Alualu did play for Cal in the Pac-10, he has certainly not been scrutinized as heavily as Tebow. It’s the unknown factor that allows hope that the big defensive lineman could have a chance in the pros. Oh yeah, Alualu also has a position that will translate directly to the NFL.

Tim Tebow obviously has talent, but he’s years away from being a starting quarterback (if you think differently, take a look back at his dreadful performance in the Senior Bowl). Furthermore, the idea of putting special packages in for him to run some sort of “wildcat” is simply ridiculous. So, basically Denver has a great locker room guy who can throw a little and run a little. Somehow, that translates into being made the 25th overall pick…

Tebow says and does all the right things and has the motivation and attitude to prove all the critics wrong. However, when there’s a will, there isn’t always a way. There’s a little thing called talent that even the biggest of idiots can rely on to succeed in the NFL. Take a look at Brandon Marshall. Blessed with incredible raw ability, he has done almost everything possible to ruin his career, not to mention Denver’s playoff chances in 2009. Marshall, who has always been in trouble with the law, was suspended before the season even began for acting like a child during training camp. He was also benched for Denver’s season finale last year- a 20-point loss to the lowly Chiefs.

What do Marshall’s transgressions mean? Well, not much to the Dolphins, who have given him $24 million in guaranteed money. The sad truth is that, as long as you’ve got talent, you will be given three and four chances to overcome bad behavior. By trading Marshall, Denver should be given credit for allowing themselves to give up on a player who basically gave up on them (don’t forget about previous malcontent Jay Cutler, either). It’s certainly understandable that they are trying to change the culture of the team. However, moving from one extreme to the other is not the answer.

It’s a good sign to see that teams (well, at least the Jaguars and Broncos) place an importance on character, and that maybe nice guys don’t always finish last in a league full of prima-donnas. However, character doesn’t mean a whole lot after the ball is snapped. The Broncos will insist that they selected Tim Tebow based largely on his potential and skills. What the organization won’t admit is that they selected “Tim Tebow the Person” over “Tim Tebow the NFL Prospect”. Either way, they should be laughed at.