ORLANDO, Fla. -- Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, for one, expects Florida quarterback Tim Tebow to be drafted in the first round next month.
Carroll, who scouted Tebow heavily as the head coach at USC, has a private visit with the Florida quarterback upcoming. However, Carroll heaped praise upon Tebow on Wednesday at the NFL Annual Meeting.
"I can't believe a quarterback of his stature won't be (taken in the first round)," said Carroll, who added that Tebow's qualities as a leader, a winner, a competitor and a human being make him too good to pass up in the draft.
The Seahawks hold the No. 6 and No. 14 overall picks -- too high for Tebow -- and don't feel compelled to take a quarterback after trading for San Diego Chargers backup Charlie Whitehurst, according to a team source. However, if the right quarterback fell to the Seahawks at a certain pick, it's hardly out of the realm of possibility that they would select one.
There was a growing sense at the annual meeting that Tebow would continue to impress teams with his workouts and visits, and several executives said they anticipated him going no later than the second round.
