The One NFL Team That Reportedly Loved Manti Te'o Had 3 Chances To Pick Him, And Passed Every Time
They had two first round picks (No.23 and No.25) in the late-first round zone where Te'o was evaluated, and they have a gaping hole at middle linebacker that Te'o could theoretically fill.
11 of the 15 NFL Draft experts who had him going in the first round had Minnesota taking him.
But Minnesota passed with No.23, instead taking defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd.
They passed with No.25, choosing cornerback Xavier Rhodes.
And in a move that shocked everyone, they acquired yet another first round pick, only to take wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson at No.29.
So they had three chances to take Te'o, and passed every time.
It's not necessarily an indictment on Te'o as a player. The Vikings are just one team, and NFL Draft rumors are so voluminous and contradictory that we probably should take the "11 out of 15 experts" thing with a grain of salt.
But the Vikings were a big part of the reason everyone had him going in Round One, and it's clear that that was a severe misdiagnosis.