Manti Te’o selected by San Diego Chargers in second round
BY ADAM L. JAHNS ajahns@suntimes.com April 26, 2013 6:18PM
28. Broncos: Manti Te’o (ILB), Notre Dame. Despite drama, he’s ready to contribute right away for a contender.
Manti Te’o is off the board.
And off to Southern California.
After falling to Day 2 of the NFL draft, Te’o, Notre Dame’s oft-scrutinized middle linebacker, was selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 38th overall selection on Friday. The Chargers traded up to grab the pick from the Arizona Cardinals.
The big buzz on Thursday was that the Bears were very keen on Te’o and could take him with the No. 20 pick. But general manager Phil Emery and Co. passed on him and other defensive players, taking Oregon guard Kyle Long.
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. is one analyst who had the Bears taking Te’o, who saw his draft stock fall after a poor performance in the national championship against Alabama and the fake-girlfriend hoax.
“’He should have a very good career -- whether it will be great or not is debatable,’’ Kiper said.
