If the New York Jets had the opportunity to pick former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o in the April NFL Draft, senior personnel executive Terry Bradway might think twice about it.
Given the issues surrounding the girlfriend hoax, Teo’s struggles against Alabama in the BCS National Championship game in January and his sub-par 40-yard dash time at the recent NFL Combine, Bradway and other NFL teams came away from Indianapolis with some questions.
“It’s an unusual situation, that’s for sure,” Bradway said in an interview on the Jets’ website. “I feel bad for him. I mean, the stress of the situation has to have had an impact on his training somehow.”
That means teams will be watching Te’o closely at his pro day in late March to see whether whether he can improve on his lackluster combine time of 4.82 time in the 40.
Te’o is rated the No. 2 inside linebacker on NFLDraftScout.com and a possible late first-round pick.
“He’s a good football player,” Bradway said. “I know a lot of us gave him pretty good grades, but when you look at the Alabama game and you look at what’s happened since, it just scares you a little bit. It’s going to be interesting to see where he’s drafted.”
According to EWPNNewYork.com, the Jets will not consider drafting Te’o.