Manti Te'o is starting to get a lot of attention from teams despite all kinds of questions surrounding his football abilities and off-the-field decisions. Of course he fell into the spotlight with the fake girlfriend scandal that captivated the media. There was also the National Championship game where he was essentially a non-factor even though he was a Heisman candidate and a winner of the Maxwell Award winner. But now multiple teams are showing interest and might be willing to spend a first round pick on him. The New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins are the latest teams to bring Te'o in for a visit.
The Giants interest makes a lot of sense. The team lost starting linebacker Chase Blackburn, who spent the last two years playing the middle position. They also lost veteran Michael Boley. They signed Dan Connor, but there are still plenty of spots on the depth chart to add another player at the position. Te'o did not work out for the team, but spent an extensive amount of time in interviews. The Giants have to make a decision of whether or not they think their No.19 overall pick is worthy of Te'o or do they risk letting him sit on the draft board. The linebacker will be gone by the end of the second round, so it depends on how early a team is willing to grab Te'o.
The visit with New York comes after Te'o spent two days with the Miami Dolphins. The team has scouted Te'o heavily since the offseason began. A lot questions have been raised about his football abilities. Despite recording seven interceptions in the regular season with Notre Dame, he ran a disappointing 40-yard dash time and he looked lost during the championship game. Many question whether or not he is ready to play professional football or not. Like with New York, Te'o did not work out for the team.
Te'o has used many of these team interviews to repair a tarnished reputation. He is not concerned about the fact that teams are questioning whether or not he will play well at the next level. Te'o says his stats speak for themselves.
"I can always get better and I'm going to get better, but if anyone questioned my ability to cover, I had seven interceptions. That should say, 'Hey , he has the ability to play three-down football,'" Te'o said.