NFL Draft 2013: Ravens Should Stay Away From Notre Dame’s Mant’i Te’o

Mar 26, 2013; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish former players Manti Te

The Baltimore Ravens have been linked to Notre Dame linebacker Mant’i Te’o since the very beginning, but they may want to look elsewhere to address the middle linebacker position.

I’m not a big Te’o fan, but it’s not because of the “fake girlfriend hoax.” To me, Te’o seems like a good personality that, without this controversy surrounding, would indeed be a good acquisition. However, it’s a pretty safe bet that Te’o’s controversy will be the subject of questions for players across the roster all season long, an that’s a distraction that the Baltimore Ravens just can’t afford to have.

The Ravens put extra effort into making the necessary roster moves this offseason that would allow it to be John Harbaugh’s locker room. It’s clear that Harbaugh wants to have absolute control, and adding a distraction like this will not help with making that transition when there’s still somewhat of a shift in power going on.

Mant’i Te’o on the field could be a very good football player. It’s not (necessarily) his fault that I’m advising the Ravens to look elsewhere. But, they should. If they don’t, it won’t be the end of the world, because Te’o could be a good fit in the zone, but adding Mant’i would also go against everything the front office has worked so hard to do thus far.