The San Diego Chargers made inside linebacker Manti Te'o their second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, hoping to find a steal after the Heisman Trophy candidate slipped down the draft board.
Manti Te’o impresses Chargers teammates, coaching staff
Despite coming in with intense pressure, Te’o has really shown himself to be a solid asset thus far.
USA TODAY Sports
So far, indications are that might be the case. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Te’o has made quite the impression on his coaching staff and teammates.
Te’o’s head coach Mike McCoy is very pleased with what he has seen, per the article.
"All he does is show up every day and work," coach Mike McCoy said. "(Linebackers coach) Joe Barry has done a phenomenal job with him. Joe's put a lot of time in with him. (Te'o) has done a great job of learning all the little details.
I think he's a very intelligent football player, good football awareness and everything, so you see what he learned early on and what he's done throughout his football career. It was an easy transition coming here. It's just a matter of learning the language. He's done a great job."
Veteran center Nick Hardwick also believes in Te'o. Many thought Te'o would have a hard time fitting into an NFL team after the Notre Dame standout was duped into believing he had a girlfriend -- whom he never met but frequently talked to over the phone -- only to ultimately find out he had been speaking to a man.
Hardwick, though, paints a different picture, per the Union-Tribune:
"I see what's going to be a heck of a football player," center Nick Hardwick said. "He gets good jumps on the snap. He knows where the ball is going. He seems to be really quick to react on it. In the locker room, he's a cool guy. He's easy to be around."
The girlfriend hoax situation seems to be in the past for a young man who, by all accounts, is a good person and hard worker.
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