Manti Teo Disappoints at The Combine

Feb 23, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Notre Dame defensive lineman Manti Teo talks with Sports Illustrated writer Peter King after finishing his press conference during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Manti Teo has had a rough couple of months. It all started with him getting completely pushed around in the BCS championship game by Alabamas NFL caliber O-Line(specifically projected top 10 pick, Chance Warmac), Then it got horrifically bad with the revelation that his girlfriend of 2 years never really existed. It turned even worse when speculation that Teo was involved in the hoax grew exponentially. It snowballed further with more and more speculation that Teo was secretly gay(not that there is anything wrong with that, but if you were gay and trying to keep it secret, people knowing would be bad and if you werent gay and everyone thinks you are, it could also be bad), and now, the cherry on top of the crap-fest of an offseason for Teo, he just ran a flat out lousy 4.82 40 at the combine.

You can watch the video of Teos run coupled with John Harbaughs  look of frustration and dissapointment.

I am not 100% sure whether Harbaughs look means he is fed up with Teo being underwhelming, or if he really likes the kid and keeps seeing things that are disappointing from him(for the record Teo was very stiff all day during drills so it is possible that he was nervous and I wouldn’t be surprised if he significantly improves that 40 at his pro day). it could go either way.

I hate to read to much into a look and a shake of a head, but it does seem to me that this might be the best indication we have that Teo isnt Ravens material. Teo is a guy who the more tape you watch on him, the less you like him. He does some really great things on the field, but he has some serious flaws as well. He really struggles to shed blockers, he isn’t very fast(although he plays faster than the terrible 4.82 40 would suggest) and he has a tendency to stand in one spot for way to long if a QB looks him off. I do still think some team will take Teo in the first round and that he will have a decent NFL career(not a great career), but I have been seriously doubting the Ravens have a ton of interest in him for about 3-4 months now(ever since the USC game when I noticed some bad plays and i went back and found a bunch of bad habits).

On the bright side for Teo, the word on the street is that his interviews with teams have gone extremely well and many GMs and personnel guys have been extremely impressed with him. He also had an excellent media session a couple days ago. If you haven’t seen it, check it out, he was personable and seemed genuine.