Thread: Would Manti Te'o (Notre Dame's LB) be worth pursuing in the draft?

Originally Posted by JustAnotherBearsFan99

I agree. I don't see how we could get him. Guys like Urlacher and Butkus were top 10 picks. We did get Singletary in the 2nd round. Maybe we can get lucky again like that.

With a expanded and hopefully better scouting dept. I think the odds on that score are improved significantly.

Originally Posted by JustAnotherBearsFan99

Yeah, I just checked Scout.com and they have him #8 overall in the draft. I don't know how we'd swing that one.

That doesn't necessarily mean he'll go that high. DeCastro was ranked right behind Kalil as the #5 best overall pick but didn't go until the mid 20s so a lot can happen between now and then.

I think we have to start thinking about Urlacher's eventual replacement and if a guy like T'eo is that ideal kind of a player to inherit one of the most high profile positions in football, the Bears MLB, then we need to look at those possibilities.

Being a "Domer" he'd be a popular choice among Bears fans and he has good size but I don't think we'll be able to make a good judgement call as to whether he's the right guy or not until next spring. Too much can happen between now and then and his ranking today may or may not be anywhere near that high by next April.

Before the season started some had him as low as a third round type of guy with far more limitations than the SI article is willing to say. I trust Scouts.com initial ranking but that could change dramatically before the draft. If he can't run a sub 4.6 forty and has lacks great coverage skills he's not our guy if we're looking for a guy who can do what Urlacher can do.

I'm sure Emery is keeping a close eye on the kid and I'd love to see a ND guy playing a key spot on the Bears again but I'm gonna hold my excitement until he may be worth getting excited about. That won't be until at least January 2013.

Originally Posted by HANCOCK
I think there are much bigger issues on the oline that need to be addressed before the bears take a LB. positions that are more pressing of a need than LB include: LT, RG, LG, TE, QB, WR, and S. Dont get me wrong, the bears could use a LB to replace Urlacher, but it shouldnt be their main concern right now.

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

QB? Really?

Yeah......I had to laugh too.

Sounds to me like HANCOCK here is planning on replacing the whole team Benji. He must play a lot of FF or Madden. It's a little easier there than when you have to do it for real.

Originally Posted by bearsinhouston

I thought about that too, but remember that we were actually less staffed than many clubs. This just provides parity -- it's not that we now have more resources than everyone else (of course when you have a personnel guru on staff like JA, you don't need as many people). We are at parity. Obviously that helps, but I like an unfair advantage. Hopefully, our guys are better than their guys.

Good points. If there is an unfair advantage that doesn't break the rules I'd like to hear of it.

Patience is a virtue, or so the poem goes. I think that we really have to keep things in perspective. Soul is right when he said that Te'o might not be all he's cracked up to be right now come draft time. Also, what if he gets injured? His draft stock will plummet, and you know the Bears and how they like to go after highly-regarded players in later rounds who would have been a first round pick had it not been for an injury sustained during the player's junior or senior season.

Reading through all of this, I agree wholeheartedly that we MUST get Urlacher's replacement, if not this year, than the next. However, I think placing an emphasis on a MLB just because we've had 3 HOF's there isn't a good mentality to have about the team....--