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Tyrann Mathieu or Manti Teo?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Boom_70, Feb 26, 2013.

?

Who would you draft with both on the board?

  1. Tyrann Mathieu

    18 vote(s)
    54.5%

  2. Manti Teo

    15 vote(s)
    45.5%
Page 2 of 4
  1. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    I based it on who will be a better value at their draft position. I think Mathieu as a late round pick is a better choice than Te'o as an early round pick.

    Mathieu, if he has his head screwed on straight, has the potential to be a valuable special teams guy - and not necessarily as a return man.

    Te'o's going to be under more pressure to produce right away and I'm not sure he can.
     
    Armchair_QB, Feb 26, 2013
    #13
  2. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    Both know what it's like to get roasted by Alabama.

    Mathieu just happened to build his (overhyped) rep in a good league.
     
    Double Down, Feb 26, 2013
    #14
  3. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I feel funny bringing it up on this thread, but I have to say I liked the ESPN: The Mag piece earlier this year about Mathieu, where about halfway through the writer was like, and I paraphrase, "Here's the thing: He might actually not be that good at football."
     
    Dick Whitman, Feb 26, 2013
    #15
  4. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Certainly prescient given what happened to Mathieu.
    The last sentence of story said it best:

    "And that's the last thing about Tyrann Mathieu: You just never know what's coming next."
     
    Boom_70, Feb 26, 2013
    #16
  5. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Teo is a 3-4th rounder.

    He could be successful as a marginal starter/special teams guy on a good team that doesn't really NEED him.

    He'll be a disaster on a bad team where he's expected to play a big role right away. Oh, and he can never play a position that has anything to do with calling plays, making key reads, etc etc. because being an idiot matters. He has to be put in positions where his job is "knock down man with football."


    Honey Badger a late-round (5-7th) pick.
     
    Starman, Feb 26, 2013
    #17
  6. dreunc1542

    dreunc1542 Active Member

    Ben Roethlisberger calls plays, reads the defense, etc. There's a difference between football intelligence and being intelligent in the rest of one's life.
     
    dreunc1542, Feb 26, 2013
    #18
  7. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    He's smart enough to play middle linebacker. Not an issue.

    I think they are each going to go a bit higher than you expect.

    Te'o has very good football instincts and he doesn't have the physical limitations for his position that are the reason Mathieu isn't going to go earlier. I think someone will take T'eo in the second round with the idea that he is an every down middle linebacker. He plays the run pretty well (National Championship game performance aside), is pretty agile, even if he isn't the fastest linebacker in a foot race, and gets back into coverage well. If he drops to the third round, someone is going to grab him quick. No way he is there in the fourth round.

    Mathieu's problems are harder to compensate for. He is really small for the NFL. Being a ball hawk is not enough. He left a lot of space at the line of scrimmage in college, and that wasn't even against the kind of match up problems with big, physical receivers the NFL can throw at him. You can't leave him in bump and run coverage, because he gets tossed aside, and he can't afford to give up those kinds of cushions in NFL coverage. I still think someone will take a shot if he is sitting there in the fourth or fifth rounds. Like Te'o, he has good ball instincts. When they are 130 to 170 players deep into the draft, there will be someone who goes by what they saw on the film rather than by the numbers.

    I think Matthieu has more potential upside, based on what people are expecting, than Te'o. But that is really the only kind of conversation (other than they both bring controversy) they really both belong in as players.
     
    The Big Ragu, Feb 26, 2013
    #19
  8. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Anyone who skips over Te'o because they think he has off-the-field issues is crazy.

    Bold prediction: He'll never be involved in another "scandal." Never. Nothing close.
     
    Dick Whitman, Feb 26, 2013
    #20
  9. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    I'd skip over him because he's too small and too slow...

    I think you're right about him not being involved in another scandal. I don't think the guy will present a Tebow-like distraction. He doesn't have a following like Tebow.
     
    Mizzougrad96, Feb 26, 2013
    #21
  10. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    Who wrote that? Seth?
     
    Mizzougrad96, Feb 26, 2013
    #22
  11. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    He's definitely not too small for a middle linebacker. He's about the same size as Patrick Willis, for example. Or James Laurinitis (who ran the 40 in about the same time). His 40 time is going to hurt him in the draft if he doesn't run between a 4.7 and 4.8 at his pro day. But anyone who has watched him play knows that in his case there is a difference between his timed speed and his playing speed. Would you skip over him if he was available in the middle to end of the second round?
     
    The Big Ragu, Feb 26, 2013
    #23
  12. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    If I thought every single starting running back in the NFL could get to the edge on him, even if he was unblocked? Yes.

    Dannell Ellerbee was a second team SEC linebacker and ran a 4.63 at the combine and has off-field issues and went undrafted. He is the same size as Te'o. Right now, I will be impressed if Te'o can have Ellerbee's NFL career. An eventual starter after a few years of teams and spot duty.
     
    Double Down, Feb 26, 2013
    #24
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