"Considered by many to be a sure-fire first round pick after his junior season, Te'o surprised many when he decided to put the NFL on hold and return to the Irish for the 2012 season. After leading Notre Dame in tackles the past two seasons, he is poised for another banner year as a senior and has a chance to make his mark in the Fighting Irish record books.

Te'o was widely considered the top linebacker recruit out of high school in 2008 and the top defensive prospect by many, choosing Notre Dame over USC and several other top programs.

He worked his way into the starting line-up as a true freshman and started nine games, finishing fourth on the team in tackles with 63 stops. Te'o emerged as a defensive leader in 2010 as a sophomore, leading the team with a career-best 133 tackles. He again led the Irish defense in tackles in 2011 as a junior with 128 stops, adding 13.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks and earning All-American honors."

Analysis:

"Te'o is an intense competitor and covers a lot of ground with his rangy, active playing style and lateral agility to cover both sidelines. He trusts his eyes and attacks the action quickly, showing a high football IQ to play smart, assignment football. Te'o needs to tighten his angles in space and get stronger at the point of attack to consistently finish once he gets his hands on the ballcarrier. He is a smooth, thickly-built athlete and his ability to quickly diagnose the play is why he projects as a starter at the next level."

I wanted to create a thread strictly for Manti Te'o. There is some indecision on the board about his NFL future and whether or not he would be a good fit on the Cincinnati Bengals. Figured we could air out everyones own personal analysis of Te'o and why you would or would not want him on our team.

WE WOULD DRAFT BETWEEN 8-12! (Thanks HammerStripes)

I voted YES! I think Te'o would be a phenomenal pick up for us and worthy of our first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. His leadership skills and overall talent and abilities speek for themselves He is the best at his position in the draft class. Leadership goes a long way in the NFL. He can cover in the passing attack and can stuff holes in the running attack. He is a sure tackler; once he gets to you, hes not letting you get by him. Very good instincts that get him to the ball. Makes the propers adjustments throughout the game (showed that against Pittsburgh this last weekend). He is an all-around solid prospect. It is hard to find any flaws in his play. He is praised by his coaches and his teammates as one of the most sincere guys in the locker room. I would be upset if he were on the board and we passed on him. He would be a great addition to this team and would make not only our defesne better, but the whole team as well.

I voted yes simply because I believe Jones would be gone before we pick. If he were available, Jones in a heartbeat.

The only other MLB that I would even want besides Te'o is Ogletree, but he still may stay in college. Te'o has the leadership that we desperately need. I think Burfict could use a motivator like Te'o to boost his game even more. If we get neither Te'o nor Ogletree, I'd prefer to then move Burfict back to MLB and draft a WILL

1.) Leadership. Te'o gives you that. He would be the much needed QB on defense and a significant player in the lockerroom. We all know that the Bengals culture is probably the worst in the league. A guy like Te'o can help change the culture.

2). Playmaking - Te'o has a nose for the ball. He makes things happen. In essence, he is the anti-Maulaluga. He could be a Polumalu type player at the LB position.

Give me Barret Jones at the top of round 2 (or trade up to the end of 1) to get him and the best RB, S or WR available with the second pick in the 2nd and I am a happy man.

Last week, Te'o looked timid and afraid, which the last thing that we need on our team is another Rey. He also looked horrible guarding the tight end, which is a huge red flag for any backer that plays in our division, especially for us.

Ogletree is an option but I think he would end up playing SAM for us because, even though he says he likes playing outside, where I think he's a stud, I think we should put Burfict at MIKE. I'm also not a fan of Ogletree's failed drug test.

CJ Mosley is a stud that I'd like to see at SAM.

__________________.

Just in case Fred ever asks me to post where I've ever proven him wrong because he seems to have no memory of it, even though he has made me do it multiple times, here are four examples.

I'm kind of thinking with the way the board falls that a WR might be the the area offering the best value. It's not my preference, but that's where i see the value at. There could be the top receiver in the whole draft sitting there between 10-15.

I think Te'o is a good option, but Im afraid he is a little over valued. He is a significant upgrade over Maulaluga but he is locked into the MLB role from what I've seen. Assuming we are picking between 12-20 and I've got a choice between Te'o and Ogletree Id look at Burfict's future and decide which to draft. Ogletree is more athletic than Te'o which I think will be proven at the combine. All in alll Im a biased UGA fan but I like Ogletree better with our current scheme because I can see him as an OLB in our system as well.

I think Te'o is a good option, but Im afraid he is a little over valued. He is a significant upgrade over Maulaluga but he is locked into the MLB role from what I've seen. Assuming we are picking between 12-20 and I've got a choice between Te'o and Ogletree Id look at Burfict's future and decide which to draft. Ogletree is more athletic than Te'o which I think will be proven at the combine. All in alll Im a biased UGA fan but I like Ogletree better with our current scheme because I can see him as an OLB in our system as well.

I like Te'o too, Im just not sure he is right for our current system given our personnel. I think he would be a great MIKE LB for us but with Burfict Im not sure that I wouldn't rather look at Ogletree from UGA who I think is more athletic and looks much better in coverage

The guy was being considered for the Heisman. This crowd's a bit rough on the best ILB in college football.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BengalHawk62

agreed

and he's still in the top five for voting.

Great college player on a team who is undefeated. Only reason he is up there for the Heisman. The guy has been a non-factor more often than you expect a Heisman finalist to be. If he was on any other team he wouldn't be up there but for some reason most CFB guys have some sort of nostalgia with Notre Dame