Okay, this is my last pre-draft Manti Te'o post. So, the young man ran a better 40 time. The new time will probably keep him in the first round. The tape, which is what really matters, shows three things, Manti Te'o has good to great instincts (even against Bama), he dominates lesser competition, and looks physically outmatched against the closest thing he's seen to an NFL team. Bottom line, Te'o is not athletically in the same class as Willis or Kuechly and he's likely not going to be the leader Ray Lewis was. This guy is A.J. Hawk and like Hawk will likely start for 5+ years in the league. We were too high on Te'o starting last year when we thought he could be a top 5 pick. That hype definitely contributed to Te'o's unfortunate off-field situation and the general expectations we must now adjust to put Manti's game in the right perspective. A good prospect that I wouldn't draft if I were a GM simply because I don't think after being "catfished" and lying about it I can trust my defense to him. Mark May says any GM who takes Te'o in the first round should be fired. Allow me to take my first shot at Mr. May, one of the great purveyors of hyperbole that's often incorrect. If the Colts, Vikings, or Broncos draft Te'o he'll be fine. He'll be fine because those are small market teams in friendly and/or conservative regions where the media is not particularly harsh and other established stars will diffuse some of the pressure come Sunday. Any other team would be picking Te'o too early or would be bringing him into a high pressure situation that I don't think any person would thrive in. It'll be interesting to see where Te'o lands for sure.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Manti Te'o
Okay, this is my last pre-draft Manti Te'o post. So, the young man ran a better 40 time. The new time will probably keep him in the first round. The tape, which is what really matters, shows three things, Manti Te'o has good to great instincts (even against Bama), he dominates lesser competition, and looks physically outmatched against the closest thing he's seen to an NFL team. Bottom line, Te'o is not athletically in the same class as Willis or Kuechly and he's likely not going to be the leader Ray Lewis was. This guy is A.J. Hawk and like Hawk will likely start for 5+ years in the league. We were too high on Te'o starting last year when we thought he could be a top 5 pick. That hype definitely contributed to Te'o's unfortunate off-field situation and the general expectations we must now adjust to put Manti's game in the right perspective. A good prospect that I wouldn't draft if I were a GM simply because I don't think after being "catfished" and lying about it I can trust my defense to him. Mark May says any GM who takes Te'o in the first round should be fired. Allow me to take my first shot at Mr. May, one of the great purveyors of hyperbole that's often incorrect. If the Colts, Vikings, or Broncos draft Te'o he'll be fine. He'll be fine because those are small market teams in friendly and/or conservative regions where the media is not particularly harsh and other established stars will diffuse some of the pressure come Sunday. Any other team would be picking Te'o too early or would be bringing him into a high pressure situation that I don't think any person would thrive in. It'll be interesting to see where Te'o lands for sure.
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