The Giants finished the 2012 season with the sixth-most points scored, but gave up the second-most yardage in the NFL, making defense the team's top priority in the offseason. One way they could upgrade the unit is by selecting a new middle linebacker and, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, that player could be Notre Dame's Manti Te'o.
2013 NFL Draft: Manti Te’o draws Giants’ interest
Te’o would almost certainly be on the board when the Giants are on the clock at 19, but one writer says that it shouldn’t be ruled out.
Gregory Shamus
More: Big Blue View
It seems like a long, long time ago, but there was a time when Te'o was considered the unquestionable best linebacker in the country and a sure-fire top 10 selection. In a mock draft from Russ Lande of National Football Post on New Year's Day, Te'o was even pegged as the first-overall selection of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Since then, a poor performance in the BCS National Championship and a bizarre situation with a non-existent girlfriend have combined with other things to drop Te’o out of the first round altogether in plenty of mock drafts.
That doesn’t mean the Giants would shy away from taking the Heisman Trophy finalist with the No. 19 pick, though. According to Vacchiano, it’s a possibility and the Giants used one of their 30 pre-draft visits to meet with Te’o earlier in April.
Te’o finished his senior season with 113 tackles, seven interceptions, 1.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss as the Fighting Irish finished with a perfect record in the regular season before losing to Alabama in the BCS National Championship.
More from SB Nation:
See More:
