Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o is recovering from a stinger in his right shoulder and will not bench press at the Scouting Combine, NFL Network reports.
Te’o, who had what may have been the most-watched press conference in the history of the Scouting Combine as he answered questions about his bizarre “dead girlfriend” hoax, will also be closely watched in his on-field workouts. As we noted in December, before Te’o’s personal life became a circus, there are questions about whether Te’o has the speed NFL teams need from a linebacker.
If Te’o runs well at the Combine, it could go a long way toward putting those concerns about his speed to rest. So for Te’o, running will be much more important than lifting.