Manti Te’o never actually saw his imaginary dead girlfriend Lennay Kekua, but the past two days he got an up-close-and-personal look at the Giants during a visit at the team facility two weeks before the NFL Draft.
For nearly all four of Te’o’s brilliant years at Notre Dame he was known as a highly productive linebacker and a sure-fire first-round draft pick. As a senior he was the runner-up to Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M for the Heisman Trophy, but he gained unwanted notoriety for being the victim in an elaborate internet “catfishing’’ hoax.
His ability to deal with the death of his girlfriend, Kekua, was an emotional storyline of Notre Dame’s undefeated 2012 regular season, but in January it was revealed Te’o never actually met Kekua, and it was an internet-only relationship. She never actually existed, and he had been duped.
The tabloid-ready story made its way to the NFL Scouting Combine, where Te’o impressed observers during a heavily attended interview session with his candid recounting of the bizarre situation, admitting, “It’s definitely embarrassing to go through.’’
Giants general manager Jerry Reese did not seem disturbed by the scam and promised to bring Te’o in for a visit and to “investigate’’ this most unusual controversy.
“We’re more interested in what kind of football player he is than anything else,’’ Reese said at the Combine.
Te’o’s visit with the Giants began Thursday night and concluded yesterday. He previously met with the Dolphins, Vikings, Lions, Bengals and Bears and is scheduled to meet next week with the Chargers. Teams can bring in up to 30 non-local prospects for visits.
Based on his pedigree and the Giants’ need, Te’o makes plenty of sense as the pick at No. 19 in the first round and is expected to be on the board when the Giants are on the clock.
Working against Te’o is the fact the Giants have not taken a linebacker in the first round since 1984, when they selected Carl Banks out of Michigan State. Te’o was an effective player at Notre Dame and also considered to be a team leader. He had an abysmal showing against Alabama in the BCS Championship Game, followed by the revelation of the “catfishing’’ hoax. Those are considered two heavy strikes against him, and it remains to be seen how those negatives will factor in on draft day.
“I think Manti has handled this situation as best as he can and has shown some maturity about it,’’ Justin Tuck, a Notre Dame graduate, said on ESPN New York 98.7. “Regardless of where he ends up, it still is going to be kind of a black cloud above his head for a while.”
Te’o also did not help himself by running a disappointing 4.82 in the 40-yard dash at the Combine, though he improved his time to 4.69 at Notre Dame’s Pro Day.
It seems the Giants will select a linebacker during the draft. They released Michael Boley, and did not make much of a play to re-sign Chase Blackburn (who landed with the Panthers). The Giants did re-sign Keith Rivers and added in free agency former Panther and Cowboy Dan Connor, but the position needs to be fortified, with Mathias Kiwanuka returning to his natural defensive end spot.