ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay was impressed with what he saw of Tim Tebow at the University of Florida’s pro day.



Wednesday was the first time Tebow had shown off his modified throwing motion since a lackluster showing at the Senior Bowl in January.



McShay was on site in Gainesville, Fla., and gave a favorable review of Tebow’s tweaked throwing motion. McShay thought it was more compact and liked Tebow’s footwork.



In discussing Tebow’s performance with ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi, McShay mentioned the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts as teams that would be good fits because of the following criteria:

• An established quarterback on the roster.
• A creative offense.
• An appreciation of versatility.

In another video segment, ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi said Patriots coach Bill Belichick would be a good candidate to take a chance on Tebow. The Patriots own three second-round draft picks, and Belichick has a track record for rolling the dice on outside-the-box prospects such as Stephen Neal and Julian Edelman.

Just a quick update to let you know where the chase for free agent running back LaDainian Tomlinson now stands.



ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Tomlinson departed the New York area Saturday morning and is on his way back to San Diego. That jives with the timetable Tomlinson had previously told Minnesota he would follow: visit the Jets and then return home to consider his options and discuss them with his wife.



Based on travel time and other hurdles, a decision might not come until Sunday or Monday. As always, we’ll keep you updated.

I just got off the telephone with ESPN’s John Clayton.

Owens

To be clear, Clayton is not reporting that the Raiders will soon be visiting with free agent receiver Terrell Owens. Clayton said that it is his opinion that Oakland could be interested in Owens.



It wouldn’t surprise me, either.



The Raiders have been very quiet this offseason and that is not Al Davis’ style. He likes to create a stir, at least, once an offseason.



Plus, Owens would be a veteran presence on an otherwise young receiving crew. He’d fill a role, even though his production has been declining.



I don’t think the Raiders need to make this move. But with Owens on the market and there being little interest in him, I agree with Clayton. Oakland could be an option.

The New York Jets had success with a thirtysomething running back last year. They might be willing to give it another whirl.



ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports free agent LaDainian Tomlinson will visit the Jets on Friday. Tomlinson, cut by the San Diego Chargers, will turn 31 in June and is coming off the worst season of his career.



Tomlinson met with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday. There’s a chance he could sign with the Vikings and cancel his Jets interview.



There’s no way the Jets could use Tomlinson like they did Thomas Jones, a physical specimen who will turn 32 in August and was released last week for financial reasons. Jones was a workhorse last year, rushing for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns.



Tomlinson is worn out. In the Jets’ backfield, he would be a complement to sophomore Shonn Greene, a rugged runner who showed in the playoffs he can be a featured back.



ESPN stats analyst KC Joyner sees Tomlinson as a valuable short-yardage specialist. The five-time Pro Bowler rushed 223 times for 730 yards and a 3.3-yard average per carry, all career-lows. But he rushed for 12 touchdowns, tying for fifth in the NFL.



For a story that analyzes the value of Tomlinson, Jones and Willie Parker in an attempt to project how much they have left, Joyner breaks down how each back fared when receiving good blocking (when every blocker won his point-of-attack assignment) versus bad blocking (at least one blocker losing his point-of-attack assignment).



Writes Joyner:

Tomlinson had 14 carries last season when the Chargers were within 5 yards of the opponent’s goal line and he was given acceptable blocking. Five of these came in Weeks 1 through 7, when Tomlinson was still struggling with his injuries, and he scored on only one of those plays.

That stands in stark contrast to his late-season performance in this area, when LT scored touchdowns on six of the eight good-blocking goal-line plays. He also scored a 6-yard touchdown on a rush play with good blocking against the Oakland Raiders in Week 8. If that were added in, Tomlinson would have seven touchdowns on nine carries of this nature down the stretch. Add in his 4-for-4 mark in converting on short-yardage (defined as third-down plays needing 3 or fewer yards) run plays with good blocking, and LT’s conversion rate in this area moves to a very impressive 11 successes on 13 carries.

The Jets have one of the NFL’s top offensive lines, perhaps the best. They line up Pro Bowlers at center, left guard and left tackle.



Tomlinson, of course, can’t expect to break the bank with the Jets. The Jets parted ways with a running back who rushed for nearly twice as many yards as Tomlinson did but was due a $3 million roster bonus and a $2.8 million base salary.



But if Tomlinson can handle serving as Greene’s sidekick and accepts commensurate money, then the Jets can improve their backfield.

Peyton Manning’s longtime backup in Indianapolis, Jim Sorgi, is scheduled to work out for the Giants on Monday, his agent Matt Brei told ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky earlier this afternoon. Sorgi was a sixth-round pick by the Colts in ‘04 and he’s appeared in 16 games.



The Colts released him over the weekend for financial reasons. With Giants unrestricted free-agent David Carr meeting with other teams, it makes sense that New York would meet with another veteran. Their only other option as a backup is second-year quarterback Rhett Bomar.



Sorgi’s spent six seasons working under Peyton, so backing up Eli shouldn’t be that big of an adjustment. The Giants will quickly try to determine how much ability Sorgi has at this point in his career. But all things equal, I think New York’s about ready to move on without Carr.

Are the Seattle Seahawks getting competition for Brandon Marshall?



ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Cincinnati is considering making a move on Marshall. The Pro Bowl receiver has been visiting with Seattle this weekend.



The Broncos put the first-round tender on Marshall. If the Bengals are going to be in play with Marshall, they may want to act quickly. Seattle could expedite the process.



If Cincinnati, which has the No. 21 pick in the first round, does pursue Marshall, it will give Denver some leverage and could result in a bidding war between Seattle and Cincinnati.

The Washington Redskins eased into the free-agency waters by agreeing to a three-year contract with Vikings guard Artis Hicks on Saturday evening, according to ESPN.com’s John Clayton. The Skins have re-signed some of their own players but Hicks, an unrestricted free agent, is the first player signed off another team.

Hicks

Hicks, 31, has been with the Vikings since ‘06 after beginning his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He started 27 games for the Vikings and he was a valuable backup on a team that reached the NFC title game this past season. The Washington Post is reporting that Hicks received $3 million in guaranteed money and the opportunity to make as much as $9 million over the course of the deal. He’ll likely challenge Mike Williams for the starting spot at right guard.



In other Redskins news, ESPN insider Adam Schefter is reporting that unrestricted free-agent running back Willie Parker will visit with Washington on Monday. Parker, 29, lost his job to Rashard Mendenhall in ‘09 and only rushed for 389 yards on 98 carries.



Parker has been banged up the past couple seasons, but he was a prolific runner for the Steelers earlier in his career. He and Redskins starter Clinton Portis are at about the same stages in their careers, but Parker has more speed and quickness. If the Skins determine that Parker’s healthy, signing him would make sense. Keep in mind that Shanahan also loves LaDainian Tomlinson, who remains on the street after being released by the Chargers.



Signing Parker wouldn’t preclude the Redskins from selecting a running back in next month’s draft, but it may allow them to wait until the later rounds. And remember that Parker played his college ball at Georgia. Shanahan had some success with a running back from Georgia a few years back.



The Post is also reporting that Ma’ake Kemoeatu will visit Redskins Park on Tuesday. Kemoeatu is recovering from a torn Achilles’ tendon, so I don’t think teams will be in a huge hurry to sign him. After years of spending wildly in free agency, the Redskins are now being lauded for their patient approach this weekend. Signing guys like Hicks and possibly Parker won’t turn the franchise around overnight, but they seem like sound moves at this point.

If you’re following ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay on Twitter (@McShay13), you know three players made impressions worthy of further study at the scouting combine: Maryland offensive tackle Bruce Campbell, Fresno State cornerback A.J.

Each Wednesday leading up to the NFL draft (April 22-24), the ESPN.com blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today’s topic: schemes and themes.

Chicago Bears

No matter what scheme they run,

Each Wednesday leading up to the NFL draft (April 22-24), the ESPN.com blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today’s topic: Schemes and themes.

Buffalo Bills: As if the Bills didn’t have enough