Prospect of the Day: Manti Te'o, ILB, Notre Dame

Mr. Goosemahn · 05-07-2012, 08:02 AM

LB Manti Te'o, Notre Dame

#5 - 6'2 – 255 lbs. – 21 years old

The best inside linebacker prospect right now. Big guy, a hammer in the middle.

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Previous Prospects of the Day

QB Matt Barkley, USC
CB Tyrann Mathieu, LSU
RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin
RB Cameron Marshall, Arizona State
NT Star Lotulelei, Utah
DE Barkevious Mingo, LSU
LB Manti Te'o, Notre Dame

Bixby (Thumper) · 05-07-2012, 08:17 AM

Meh. Watched him pretty intensely this past year along with Luke Kuechly and Vontaze because the Eagles needed a MLB. I think Te'o was pretty clearly behind Kuechly. Te'o struggles to break down in space and make the tackle. Linear athlete. He's a big, downhill thumper type that can really explode into contact but I think he's pretty overrated as an athlete right now. He'll start in the NFL, don't get me wrong. I just don't think he's the super stud some make him out to be. Who remembers Edgerton Hartwell? Thats who Te'o reminds me of.

K Train · 05-07-2012, 08:23 AM

hes so dreamy

jrdrylie · 05-07-2012, 09:16 AM

Very early in the process, I think Teo-to-Chicago is the best prospect fit I can think of which means it's not going to happen. but I would be quite satisfied if it did.

Hines · 05-07-2012, 09:22 AM

I love him. I hope he's a Steeler if Sly doesn't work out.

jojo · 05-07-2012, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrdrylie

Very early in the process, I think Teo-to-Chicago is the best prospect fit I can think of which means it's not going to happen. but I would be quite satisfied if it did.

Good link there rylie, in that Notre Dame recruits heavily from Chicago with their huge fanbase there. The Bears need a young healthy LB in the box since they're moving Urlacher, the injuries have caught up to him, all over in coverage schemes.

I remember him highly touted coming out of HS, the #1 ranked ILB in the nation. He had arthroscopic surgery before last season & recorded an impressive 133 tackles the yr. before.

bigbluedefense · 05-07-2012, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hines

I love him. I hope he's a Steeler if Sly doesn't work out.

You love every linebacker prospect like ever lol.

Hines · 05-07-2012, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbluedefense

You love every linebacker prospect like ever lol.

I didn't like the Spence pick at first.....lol

ChiefMojo · 05-07-2012, 01:13 PM

I think he would be a great as a thumper type in a 3-4 team like a Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Indy, Baltimore or even New England.

Manti is probably a 15-25 guy in the 1st round imo. The only other two ILB that fits the 3-4 that could push him is Shayne Skov from Stanford and Kevin Reddick from North Carolina. With that said Skov has a prior DUI and a knee injury to overcome probably in some scouts eyes. The talent and size is there for Skov. Reddick also has the size/athletic ability and is a good all-around LB.

I also like Arthur Brown out of Kansas State but I think his size is going to limit him in some schemes as he is probably 6'1", 230 pounds right now. Brown is more of a sideline to sideline WILB that does not fit the SILB thumper role.

My early top 5 ILB's has Manti Te'o at the top...

1) Manti Te'o - 6'2", 255-pounds Notre Dame
2) Shayne Skov - 6'3", 250-pounds Stanford
3) Arthur Brown - 6'1", 230-pounds Kansas State
4) Kevin Reddick - 6'3", 240-pounds North Carolina
5) Alec Ogletree - 6'3", 240-pounds Georgia

gator3guy · 05-07-2012, 02:09 PM

At early glance, it looks like the 2012 class had better pure LB's but the 2013 class has much better pass rushers (potentially of course).

ChiefMojo · 05-07-2012, 02:17 PM

Could very well be the case. Very early on I see only two 1st round ILB's in Te'o and Skov. That is similar to this year where you had Kuechly and Hightower. Reddick will have a legit shot at the 1st round and Ogletree will have a outside chance. Brown has the ability but his size will keep him out of the 1st round for sure.

SenorGato · 05-08-2012, 03:29 AM

Same build and style as Davis Harris...2nd round guy but a good player.

Brown Leader · 01-08-2013, 07:34 AM

There hasn't been much talk about Te'o here of late but it's been widely accepted that he's a top 10 prospect. That championship game performance might dead all that. He struggled facing the best front seven he's seen this season. Imo he was slow to read and disengage, a step late sideline to sideline, missing tackles and basically a non factor in coverage. So... how much did that performance affect his stock?

AntoinCD · 01-08-2013, 07:38 AM

I'm not sure one bad game can really hurt your stock. There are many reasons why a bad game can happen, especially considering these guys hadn't played a meaningful game in a month. These types of things will be taken into consideration.

It will bring up questions, however I'm not sure it will hurt him too badly.

CollegeFan · 01-08-2013, 08:12 AM

His stock dropped a bit last night...couldnt tackle Lacy. Had trouble shedding blocks. Is he really 255 lbs? Doesn't look it.

MI_Buckeye · 01-08-2013, 08:20 AM

I never really thought that highly of him, and tonight shows why.

He flourished this year playing behind a D line that kept him completely clean. When he finally had to play in the briar patch, he struggled mightily. He might have had seven interceptions this year, but watching every ND game, those all seemed like big flukes. Every pick was either thrown right at him by an incompetent QB (cough, Denard, cough) or came off a tip. I still view his coverage skills as average.

The way I see it, he's not really a thumper or an outstanding athlete. I don't think he's anywhere near as good as Patrick Willis or Luke Kuechly were coming out. I think he's still a first rounder, but the luster is definitely off.

Halsey · 01-08-2013, 09:06 AM

Fans that saw him on TV last night have decided his stock is down based off that one game. The same thing happened with UGA defenders after the SEC Championship Game. I have a hard time believing NFL teams are going to make major changes to how they view a 4 year player based on one game against a dominant offense.

bornnraisedwhodat · 01-08-2013, 09:32 AM

He looks to struggle shedding blocks, he'll get his lunch taken in the NFL if he keeps that up.

P-L · 01-08-2013, 09:35 AM

Te'o's stock is only "down" after last night because it was unfairly built up too high in the first place. Te'o is still a very good prospect, but he isn't a top ten prospect and never should've been billed as one.

Roddoliver · 01-08-2013, 09:39 AM

The BCS Championship was not an outlier. The other videos show that Te'o can struggle to shed blocks and he takes bad angles. He is not a technician like Luke Kuechly, and apparently he also does not have the same range and sideline-to-sideline motor. Te'o is a "thumper", he relies too much on physical strength and does not have active hands to disengage. The technical issues can be corrected by NFL coaches. Even though he is not an amazing athlete, he is athletic enough to play MLB. I still think Te'o has more awareness and range than Kevin Minter.

ShutDwn · 01-08-2013, 09:57 AM

It was just one game... But a thumper is supposed to be suited for stopping exactly that type of offense.

I don't think he's a three down linebacker. I think he has to play in the 3-4 to have success.

KaneMarko · 01-08-2013, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-L

Te'o's stock is only "down" after last night because it was unfairly built up too high in the first place. Te'o is still a very good prospect, but he isn't a top ten prospect and never should've been billed as one.

Basically.

There were a good number of Chiefs fans wanting Te'o with the #1 pick. I never really got it. Even before last night. Kid has a good future. He has a fairly high floor. I just didn't understand all the hype and didn't see how one could rationalize him at #1 overall. But, that's just me.

nobodyinparticular · 01-08-2013, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-L

Te'o's stock is only "down" after last night because it was unfairly built up too high in the first place. Te'o is still a very good prospect, but he isn't a top ten prospect and never should've been billed as one.

This is very important to consider. Mid- to late-teens pick maybe?

Babylon · 01-08-2013, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShutDwn

It was just one game... But a thumper is supposed to be suited for stopping exactly that type of offense.

I don't think he's a three down linebacker. I think he has to play in the 3-4 to have success.

Good player but probably not quite as good as a Luke Kuechly, you might agree.

A step slow last night but as far as sheding blocks most linebackers have trouble with that. Blame the ND d-line for some of that.

jth1331 · 01-08-2013, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-L

Te'o's stock is only "down" after last night because it was unfairly built up too high in the first place. Te'o is still a very good prospect, but he isn't a top ten prospect and never should've been billed as one.

I never understood why he was so highly regarded. I mean, top 5 pick? Top 10? No way to me.
Like someone else mentioned, his INT number is a fluke. Is he a good prospect? Yeah, he most definitely is, but people basically saying he's the best MLB prospect in awhile/top 5 pick stuff was just mindblowing to me.

I always thought he'd be a mid 1st rounder, and thats where he probably will go. Maybe late 1st after that horrible showing.