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Manti Te'o
Manti Te’o (Photo credit: Hoosierguy Jeff)

Notre Dame stud linebacker Manti Te’o bombed at NFL combine  last week and failed to impress the New York Giants brass who are searching for the next Brian Cushing, Luke Kuechly or for nostalgia purposes Harry Carson, Pepper Johnson or something in between.

While 40 times do not sink a players chance of being drafted, they can deter a team with Super Bowl aspirations and a check book  from making that player the first round draft pick that will push that franchise back into the playoff hunt.

Division I Linebackers with a reputation of being a difference maker on the field, do not follow-up a poor performance in the National Championship game with media hyped personal distraction and a 4.82 time in the 40 yard dash.

Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin was less than impressed with the linebacker and for many Giant fans your wish for that dominate inside linebacker might just have to wait.

“Just strictly football, strictly evaluating — I don’t really know the player other than looking at him on tape,” Coughlin said in an appearance on “The Crossover” on NBC Sports Network, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. “We didn’t interview him in Indianapolis. But he didn’t play well in the national championship game.

Now anybody can have a bad game. He ran OK (at the combine with a 40-yard dash time of 4.82 seconds), but it wasn’t great. So I’ll have to do more research on him. But at this point in time you’re asking me would I be surprised (if he’s available at 19)? No.”

Manti has been quoted that he will do better at his “Pro Day”…which is very possible; however, dropping his time to 4.6 and making it into the 1st round might not be in the cards.

Craig J. Santucci /Senior Editor Giants RushEnhanced by Zemanta