Despite the huge fictitious girlfriend scandal, the Manti Te’o draft stock hasn’t plummeted like some would expect it to, meaning there’s not a bad chance at all he ends up being picked in the first round, possibly by the Chicago Bears, who have a serious need for a new middle linebacker since Brian Urlacher was released from the team.

Te’o made a lot of noise with his disappointing 40 time, but it’s not like he’s going to be chasing wide receivers down the sidelines. He did an excellent job for most of his senior season with the Fighting Irish, and although he, like the entire Notre Dame, pulled a disappearing act in the BCS Championship game while facing Alabama, teams like what they see from when it regards things that aren’t about speed.

More-so, beyond the Bears being in a reasonable position in the draft (20th pick) to take Te’o and hope he’s good enough to step in as a starter right away, Te’o has paid a visit to Bears headquarters recently, just like he visited the Lions, Dolphins and Chargers.

Manti Te’o doesn’t look like the kind of guy who’ll become a franchise favorite at the position, to be remembered as a dominant force in the NFL for the next decade. But aside from his troubling personality issues that are in question, he’s a very reliable choice for the position, who might need help from a strong linebacking crew around him to become a successful player in the NFL for more than a couple of years.

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