The San Diego Chargers may have pulled off the biggest surprise of the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by trading up to select Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o.
Nobody knew what to expect from Te’o heading into the draft considering a few months ago he seemed like a lock for a first-round pick, but that quickly disappeared between the hoax scandal and a poor performance at the NFL Combine. Despite all of this though, there’s never been an issue about Te’o potential at the NFL level and it seemed like only a matter of time before one team would decide to take a chance on him–which is exactly what the Chargers are doing.
San Diego certainly needed some help on the defense after last season and it will be interesting to see what type of impact Te’o can have during his rookie season. If the last few months are any indication, there’s no reason to worry about everything Te’o has been through having an impact on his game.
If anything, it’s proven that Te’o has what it takes to focus on football with all of these distractions. Te’o has proven to be an effective leader before and is great when it comes to defending the passing game, but he certainly has to work on a few areas in need of improvement at the NFL level–especially when it comes to his speed.
Either way, it will be exciting to see Te’o suit up for San Diego during the 2013 season.
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