Report: Most teams grade Manti Te'o as first-round pick
Manti Te'o is projected to be a first-round draft pick.(Joe Raymond/AP)
Most NFL teams give former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o a first-round grade heading into next week's NFL Draft, ESPN's Chris Mortensen said Wednesday on SportsCenter (via Rotoworld).
"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."
Te'o was a star for Notre Dame on its run to the national championship game and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting. But his draft status became a question mark after Deadspin reported in January that his "girlfriend," who had supposedly died during the season, did not exist and was actually a hoax perpetrated on Te'o.
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At the NFL Combine, media packed into Te'o's news conference, and he faced a barrage of questions over the incident. He also struggled in the 40-yard dash at the Combine, posting a time of 4.82 seconds.
But according to Mortensen, he "aced" the interviews with teams. A month later, at Notre Dame's Pro Day, he ran 4.71 in the 40 -- not scorching, but not worrisome.
