Former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o says the 4.82-second 40-yard dash that he showed off at the Scouting Combine doesn’t indicate how fast he really is.
And Te’o says it should be obvious that he’ll run faster than that at Notre Dame’s Pro Day.
“Obviously, faster than a 4.8,” Te’o told Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune. “We’ll see what happens.”
Te’o has blamed stress for his slow time at the Combine, but there have long been questions about Te’o’s speed. We noted in December that people were questioning whether he was fast enough to be an elite NFL linebacker, and Te’o still hasn’t done anything to answer those questions sufficiently.
But Te’o insists that he plays a lot faster than his Combine 40 showed.
“I think the 40 time measures what the 40 time is supposed to measure,” Te’o said. “I think that’s something that I’m going to get better. The only way from here is up, so I’m definitely going to get better at that. I think, as far as play, I think what’s on the film, that’s the play. Obviously, I can get faster in my 40.”
It may be obvious to Te’o, but it’s not obvious to NFL teams that he’s any faster than 4.82.