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No other draft-eligible players at linebacker have the physical gifts that Ogletree does. A former safety, he's one of the best athletes at the position. He has great speed and quickness, and can chase down plays from behind. Ogletree likely could play any of the three linebacker spots in Minnesota's defense, as well as be a prototype nickel linebacker. He likely needs to get stronger and learn how to take on blocks better. The Vikings haven't been shy about taking on players with off-field issues in the back half of drafts and it's paid off with successes like Randy Moss and Percy Harvin. Is Ogletree the next character concern that ends up rewarding Minnesota?

Or do we go with Ti-O?

Only if he ended up being a real long-term option--unlike those other guys.

The talent is great and all, but it's not fun trying to fix people!

Te'o though? Hmm. How much more stable is he? lol J/K.

I am 100 % sold on Teo

No thanks. Pass on him, and Teo.

At least Ogletree could physically do everything that was asked of him in this defense, which Te'o can't. And will never be able to. You don't suddenly change the way you play physically.

Doesn't change the fact he's a crazy person and I wouldn't want him anywhere near this roster!

2012 college football awards: Manti Te'o:

Bronko Nagurski Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
Vince Lombardi/Rotary Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
Walter Camp Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
Dick Butkus Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
Chuck Bednarik Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
Maxwell Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
And this was just his senior year. Yes it sure would be foolish to draft this loser

Demi wrote:No thanks. Pass on him, and Teo.

At least Ogletree could physically do everything that was asked of him in this defense, which Te'o can't. And will never be able to. You don't suddenly change the way you play physically.

Doesn't change the fact he's a crazy person and I wouldn't want him anywhere near this roster!

You could be right but Moss and Carter were also head cases and they worked out OK for the most part. Harvin was also a problem child but if Ponder was a better QB and the Vikes had a more imaginitive play caller and better players he probably would still be with the Vikes.

And:
Bronko Nagurski Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
Vince Lombardi/Rotary Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
Walter Camp Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
Dick Butkus Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
Chuck Bednarik Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
Maxwell Award - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame

Te'o can't be all that bad based on his senior year performance and overall play at ND...and please don't tell me he played poorly in the championship game..the whole team got overwhelmed by a FAR superior team!!!

80 PurplePride 84 wrote: So you're telling me just because he won a bunch of awards in college, he won't be a bust?

The guy is overrated as a player and brings Tebow-eque attention. No thanks.

Seriously, that is what you got out of that You claim that he is overated and yet received all of these awards. There must be a whole lot of people that know a whole lot less about him than you do to have bestowed all of these awards upon him. What is your secret? Please call Spielman so he does not screw up and draft him for god sakes. And what is this crazy Tebow comparison (that is laughable)?

80 PurplePride 84 wrote:I'm saying just because he won awards doesn't mean a thing.

So the awards for best linebacker in the nation doesn't mean a thing? Makes sense. I wouldn't want a highly decorated guy either.

Put it this way, what if Ogletree won them? Or Brown? Then would they be valid?

Great college players turn into flops in the pros all the time.

They also turn into starters, Pro Bowlers and Hall of Famers. In addition to Te'o, here are a few recent names that have won the Butkus Award: Luke Kuechly, Von Miller, James Laurinaitis, Patrick Willis. Of course, there are also guys that have won it by the name of: Rolando McClain (headcase), Aaron Curry (knee injuries). Basing of this history, if he's not a knucklehead (which he isn't, not in the selfish "me first" criminal way) and stays healthy, he has a real shot at joining some elite company.

More fun; recent players that have won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (for best defensive player in the country): Luke Kuechly, Da'Quan Bowers, Ndamukong Suh, Brian Orakpo, James Laurinaitis, Elvis Dumervil, Derrick Johnson, Terrell Suggs. Could Te'o break the trend of at least solid players? Of course. But he's in good company.

The guy was good but was extremely overrated because he played for Notre Dame and they were good.

Yeah, he didn't have anything to do with their being good.

He shouldn't have sniff the Heisman and I can count at least 10 more worthy players than him (2 being fellow defensive players). If he played for like LSU and put up identical stats he's no where near as hyped.

That's a popular opinion but is no way verifiable. The fact remains that he was a very productive collegiate player. It shouldn't matter what team he was on.

The Tebow-comparison is valid. *I'm not the first one to make it. The guy will bring extreme media coverage both from his college hype and the whole catfish thing will still follow him. We'll see headlines like "Te'o has 5 tackles in debut" meanwhile Christian Ponder could throw for 350 yards and it'll be a footnote.

Of course he'll be a story, but the degree will be based on which market he's in. New York? Yes, most likely. Minnesota? I'm sure it'll warrant some early coverage but I'm pretty sure that whole catfish deal will be a thing of the past once preseason rolls around. A five-tackle performance will not warrant a headline. He's not going to bring Tebow/Favre-like media attention.

He's a 2nd round prospect as a player IMO, and the media circus that follows him is not worth. I much rather draft Ogletree and just give him a babysitter a la Dez Bryant.

A second round prospect is a bit low in my eyes, but he could go anywhere from 20-45, which seems about right and the general consensus. It'll be interesting to see where he lands.

Just by the "good ol' eye test" Te'o seems overrated to me. I've read a quite of few similar comments, too. I don't watch college football, though. Based on the comments I read from the Te'o article on the Star Tribune, the fans (I'm assuming a good majority are from Minnesota) aren't too impressed with Te'o. Seems like a lot would be upset with the pick. We'll see how it plays out! Just a few more days!

Te'o has definitely been overrated/over hyped. a lot has to do with ND having a "magical" season (which i think was not that impressive at all) he did ok. Ogletree minus the headaches would be a no brainer

big deli Vike wrote:Te'o has definitely been overrated/over hyped. a lot has to do with ND having a "magical" season (which i think was not that impressive at all) he did ok. Ogletree minus the headaches would be a no brainer

No kidding, a high character Ogeltree would probably be a top 15 pick, which wouldn't really matter for us since we couldn't get him!

80 PurplePride 84 wrote:I'm saying just because he won awards doesn't mean a thing. Great college players turn into flops in the pros all the time. The guy was good but was extremely overrated because he played for Notre Dame and they were good. He shouldn't have sniff the Heisman and I can count at least 10 more worthy players than him (2 being fellow defensive players). If he played for like LSU and put up identical stats he's no where near as hyped.

LOL! Right, because Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu certainly hasn't been relentlessly hyped. LSU plays in the most hyped conference in college football.

The Tebow-comparison is valid. *I'm not the first one to make it. The guy will bring extreme media coverage both from his college hype and the whole catfish thing will still follow him. We'll see headlines like "Te'o has 5 tackles in debut" meanwhile Christian Ponder could throw for 350 yards and it'll be a footnote.

He's a 2nd round prospect as a player IMO, and the media circus that follows him is not worth. I much rather draft Ogletree and just give him a babysitter a la Dez Bryant.

That way the headline can just be "Ogletree Arrested!".

The more I read claims that Te'o was overhyped because he played at Notre Dame, the more I wonder if a lot of the people making that claim just don't like Notre Dame (and let's face it, there are plenty of football fans who fall into that category).

80 PurplePride 84 wrote:The Alabama game get overrated and underrated because its one game. But it was the closest thing to a NFL caliber OL he saw in 4 years and he did get manhandled.

Yikes. Then we'd better bypass all the LBs in this draft. They were all pretty bad vs. Alabama.

Kevin Minter vs. Alabama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVYCtqkLa-U

Alec Ogletree vs. Alabama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZy_y0on4u8

dead_poet wrote:

Kevin Minter vs. Alabama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVYCtqkLa-U

Alec Ogletree vs. Alabama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZy_y0on4u8