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Manti Te'o | Linebacker

Team: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Age / DOB:  (22) / 1/26/1991
Ht / Wt:  6'2' / 255

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Recent News

Chargers selected Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o with the No. 38 overall pick.
The Chargers moved up to draft Te'o, sending the Nos. 45 and 110 picks to the Cardinals. Te'o (6-1, 241) racked up triple-digit tackles in each of his final three seasons, playing inside linebacker in Notre Dame's 3-4. His playmaking in pass coverage reached new heights as a senior with seven interceptions, although six came on tipped balls. Te'o managed a 4.82 forty at the Combine and isn't an explosive athlete, relying on instincts and "feel" to make plays. He struggles to shed blocks when left unprotected by defensive tackles, which most notably showed up in the BCS title game. In San Diego, Te'o will slot in as an immediate starter adjacent to Donald Butler. Apr 26 - 7:04 PM

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Player News

Date:
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport notes the Vikings and Bears love Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o.

"If Minnesota wants to grab him, they'll need to jump up over Chicago," Rapoport tweeted. "That's what they plan to do." We are a bit surprised that Te'o is getting this much love in the top 20. Both teams like to run Cover 2, and Te'o's lack of great range could be an issue in that system.
Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
Apr 25 - 11:43 AM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o visited the San Diego Chargers.

"Teo will become the latest defender to arrive at the facility, joining a list that includes former Oregon inside linebacker Kiko Alonso, LSU defensive end Sam Montgomery and Washington State outside linebacker Travis Long, per sources," U-T San Diego's Michael Gehlken writes. The Chargers are in need of inside linebackers, so Te'o would make sense if he made it to their second-round draft choice.
Source: U-T San Diego
Apr 23 - 7:21 PM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora says the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings were "impressed" by Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o.

"The Bears and Vikings spent a lot of time with him and came away impressed," La Canfora writes. "He would be in play for the Ravens at No. 32 overall, sources said, but I don't see a scenario developing where they take him -- if they can get value moving up for a left tackle that's in play, receivers could make sense here and they like LSU inside linebacker Kevin Minter very much, too, though he has a second-round grade."
Source: CBS Sports
Apr 23 - 7:06 PM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

Former NFL scout believes the Ravens would be "elated" to have Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o available at pick No. 32.

"There just aren't 32 better football players in this draft class who would push Te'o out of the first round," Jeremiah writes. "I believe the Baltimore Ravens would be elated if he fell to them at No. 32, but I don't see him falling that far down the board." The Vikings seem like a logical fit with one of their first-round picks.
Source: NFL.com
Apr 22 - 2:03 PM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that "at least half the teams" have a first-round grade on Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o.

"At least half the teams in this league have solid first-round grades on Te’o," Mortensen said. "I have heard ‘undersized’ a bit. (But) most teams do see that he’s going to go somewhere in the first round." Mortensen added that Te'o "aced" team interviews.
Source: Sports Illustrated
Apr 17 - 6:01 PM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o visited the Chicago Bears in the past few weeks, according to ESPN's Jeff Dickerson.

The Bears are in need of linebackers, so the interest in Te'o is unsurprising. The question is how he fits into the new defense, which is now led by defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. If Tucker continues to run the Tampa 2, Te'o is not a great fit because of his lack of great foot speed and athleticism. He's best fit in a robber role, where he can keep the play in front of him.
Source: ESPN.com
Apr 11 - 5:16 PM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o is currently visiting the Dolphins.

We don't expect the Dolphins to realistically select Te'o, even if they choose to move down, after signing a couple of high priced free agent linebackers. League insiders expect Te'o to still be selected in the first-round, but we question if teams view him as anything more than a two down linebacker.
Source: Ben Volin on Twitter
Apr 11 - 12:19 PM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

Detroit Lions insider Tim Twentyman tweets that the team hosted Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o, Cincinnati TE Travis Kelce and Michigan/UMass RB Mike Cox on April 9.

The biggest name of the three, depending on who is reading them, is Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o. Te'o's offseason has been well documented and he's still a good prospect. As is Travis Kelce, the Cincinnati tight end, who has a lot of upside and could be selected on day two.
Source: Tim Twentyman on Twitter
Apr 9 - 12:48 PM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

ESPN's Mel Kiper stated there is "no way" Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o is still on the board when the Ravens pick at No. 32.

Kiper "doesn't see Te'o getting past the New York Giants, Chicago Bears or Minnesota Vikings," via the Baltimore Sun. The draft analyst also believes Alec Ogletree will be off the board. We wouldn't be surprised to see one, or both, of these prospects still available at the end of the first, but LSU's Kevin Minter might be a target otherwise. Safety is another possibility for Ozzie Newsome.
Source: Baltimore Sun
Apr 5 - 11:54 AM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

National Football Post's Russ Lande reports Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o showed at his pro day that he had enough athleticism to be a three-down defender.

"A source in attendance told us that his workout proved to him that Te’o has the hips, feet and overall athleticism to be productive in pass coverage in the NFL," Lande wrote. "In addition to working out well, Te’o was the leader of the team throughout as he cheered on teammates and clearly had the support of all his teammates. His workout today will place Te’o exactly where we have predicted all along between the 20th and 50th picks."
Source: National Football Post
Mar 28 - 4:17 PM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

After speaking with multiple NFL teams at Notre Dame's Pro Day, Yahoo! Sports' Jason Cole does not believe ILB Manti Te'o will be a first-round pick.

One AFC head coach noted, "I think he can play and he can help your defense. But he's a two-down player on a good team. He's not a star. If I'm taking a linebacker in the first round, I want a guy who can change my defense." This goes directly against what other insiders, like Adam Schefter, have said about Te'o, but we have evaluated the inside linebacker more
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Mar 27 - 9:04 AM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

ESPN's Eric Mangini believes Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o will "have to be covered up to play at the highest level and utilize his greatest strengths."

We interpret this as saying Te'o struggles to create on his own, but behind a good three or four man front, the inside linebacker can make things happen. This was evident against power running teams (Alabama, Stanford) that swallowed Te'o up at the line of scrimmage or second level, leading to poor showings for the defensive captain.
Source: Evan Silva on Twitter
Mar 27 - 8:38 AM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports Notre Dame Manti Te'o turned down two invitations to the green room.

Te'o appears to be doing his best to stay out of the spotlight, which may be a smart move considering his past issues with the media. Te'o could go in the first round after improving his 40-yard dash time to an unofficial 4.75 from the combine's 4.82 time. He's not the most athletic linebacker but has the skill set to be a productive player in the pros.
Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
Mar 26 - 5:06 PM
Manti Te'o - LB - Fighting Irish

Yahoo! Sports' Doug Farrar believes Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o is "the wrong kind of tweener."

"Not powerful enough to dominate run fits; not fast enough from stance to range vertically at LB depth," Farrar tweeted. He went on to add that Te'o really struggles against power offenses. This was noteworthy against ALabama in the BCS Championship Game and Stanford earlier in the season.
Source: Doug Farrar on Twitter
Mar 25 - 11:19 AM