Manti T'eo

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VikingPaul73
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Manti T'eo

Post by VikingPaul73 »

almost every mock I've seen has had Te'o going top 10. After the game against Bama, I wouldn't be surprised if he fell........far. He looked very small, ineffective, and just overmatched by a big and athletic Bama team.

Knowing Spielman's love of ND players, character guys, and the need to upgrade the MLB position, I couldn't see Spielman passing on him. But I don't know if I'd want him after watching the BCS championship game.

Thoughts?
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by A.D_blazing »

VikingPaul73 wrote:almost every mock I've seen has had Te'o going top 10. After the game against Bama, I wouldn't be surprised if he fell........far. He looked very small, ineffective, and just overmatched by a big and athletic Bama team.

Knowing Spielman's love of ND players, character guys, and the need to upgrade the MLB position, I couldn't see Spielman passing on him. But I don't know if I'd want him after watching the BCS championship game.

Thoughts?

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canadaviking08
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by canadaviking08 »

Well first of all, I do not believe Spielman has a preference for ND players. I believe at the time, he felt those two players were the best choices for our team. As a fan, I could not be more pleased with both Rudolph and Smith. I think Spielman will go through the usual evaluation process regardless of what college a player is from...

I don't know anything about this player but I do have faith in our team scouting so if we do pick him, i am on board.
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by mansquatch »

The ND LB is certainly the cream of this year’s draft LB crop, but why do folks think he’ll be a stud in the NFL? I’m not saying he won’t be, I‘m just curious. Interesting thing about the draft, I find the media rates players in terms of the specific season’s draft. IE player X is best LB in the draft. However, how does player X stack up to say Jasper Brinkley? That is really the question the Vikings need to answer, can the guy play at the NFL level and be an upgrade over current talent?
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Texas Vike
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by Texas Vike »

Good thread.

I think it is entirely feasible that he drops and we think very seriously about taking him. Two weeks ago, if I had heard that I would been delighted. He had an exceptional year: huge number of picks, tackles, overall playmaking. He has a warrior mentality and he loves the game.

The Bama game has to concern you, though. He was pretty much nullified by the size and athletic superiority of Bama, who is probably the closest thing to a pro-level team in college ball. I didn't watch the game closely enough to know if Bama did some things, scheme-wise, to account for his usually dominant presence, but I am assuming they did.

The question for me is this: how much better is he than a guy we could get in round 2 or 3? I sure would like a WR at #23, if there's a great one available.
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by VikingLord »

T'eo is a guy who could either really benefit from a solid combine or could really hurt himself if his performance in the drills confirms he lacks top-end physical capabilities. He could choose to skip a lot of those and go for it at his pro day, but any indication he's trying to avoid those drills could work against him.

With that said, I don't think he's the kind of guy who will avoid anything. T'eo's physical skills might be limited, but his heart and leadership ability are not. I think he'll go out and do what they ask him to do and let the chips fall where they may. I've seen mocks showing him going as high as #5 and as low as the bottom of the 1st, so there is a good chance he'll be on the board when the Vikes pick at #23.

I think the Vikes have greater needs at other positions and there will be compelling talent at #23 at many of those positions, which could make a ILB at #23 a luxury, but Spielman and Frazier are big on character guys and T'eo would fit that bill nicely.
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Re: Manti T'eo

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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by PurplePPLEater »

I'd be happy with the Vikings picking T'eo. Who was that LB who came out of miami that fell in the draft to the late 20s 15 or so years ago? I'm pretty sure a purple team drafted him too...
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VikingPaul73
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by VikingPaul73 »

PurplePPLEater wrote:I'd be happy with the Vikings picking T'eo. Who was that LB who came out of miami that fell in the draft to the late 20s 15 or so years ago? I'm pretty sure a purple team drafted him too...

Zach Thomas?

Ah...sorry, you're referring to ray Lewis......sorry....
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9man
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by 9man »

ESPN reporting Manti's girlfriend that died of lukemia, never existed. Very strange
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by PurpleMustReign »

His draft stock continues to plummet. This guy seems a little... odd.
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by Texas Vike »

9man wrote:ESPN reporting Manti's girlfriend that died of lukemia, never existed. Very strange

This is a really odd story. Something doesn't add up:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... ently-hoax
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by PurpleKoolaid »

Odd yes. Still love to get him as a LB. Hes the best there is IMO, fits in 3-4 or cover 2.
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by Dark »

If he can cover, GET HIM. We are in desperate need of an LB who can cover. Those dump passes kill us nearly every game.
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VikingPaul73
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Re: Manti T'eo

Post by VikingPaul73 »

Texas Vike wrote:
This is a really odd story. Something doesn't add up:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... ently-hoax
Bizarre. Hard to believe he wasn't in on it.
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