Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Senior Benefits The decision to come back for one more season turned out to be a win-win situation for Notre Dame senior Manti Te���o and his fellow captain Tyler Eifert. Last December, Te���o announced his plans to finish his career at Notre Dame in 2012. Eifert followed a month later. Not only did both get a chance to enjoy the spoils of an undefeated season and collect some postseason hardware, but they also provided some definitive answers to the biggest questions surrounding their NFL Draft stock. Te���o was a potential first-round pick a year ago, but some pro scouts had doubts about his ability to drop into coverage in an increasingly pass-happy league. He cut 15 pounds during the offseason to keep up with running backs and tight ends in the middle of the field. He made his first career interception in the season opener against Navy and added six more picks throughout the year. ���The big thing that was questioned, the reason why he went back, was could he be a three-down linebacker,��� ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. ���Could he be on the field in passing situations? He goes out and intercepts seven passes. There���s still going to be some concern about that because the pro level is a lot different than playing at Notre Dame.��� Kiper said Te���o���s time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and where he keeps his weight, will be closely watched by general managers this spring. Either way, he is likely to jump from the mid-to-late first-round pick projected a year ago to a potential top-five selection. Middle linebackers typically can���t climb much higher than the middle of the first round when marquee quarterbacks, running backs or linemen are available for the taking. With a less impressive group of prospects in those key positions this season, linebackers can become a more sought-after commodity. Kiper lists Georgia middle linebacker Jarvis Jones as the top overall player in this year���s draft and a potential No.��1 pick. There���s a good chance that Te���o and Eifert will give Notre Dame two first-round selections for the second year in a row. Last April, Arizona took wide receiver Michael Floyd 13th overall and Minnesota grabbed safety Harrison Smith with the 29th overall pick. Eifert currently sits at 18th on Kiper���s board of top prospects. The senior from Fort Wayne can expect a significantly higher payday than he would have received if he jetted from South Bend after last season. His numbers dipped considerably ��� from 63 receptions for 803 yards to 44 catches for 624 yards. But the Irish offense highlighted Eifert���s versatility and his improved ability to throw a block. ���He���s clearly the top tight end in terms of the overall grade,��� Kiper said. ���He���s a complete tight end now. You can do a lot of things with him and it���s an era of tight ends doing great jobs in this league. The way they���re being utilized they have great value.��� Where Te���o trimmed pounds, Eifert added them. He said he committed to getting stronger and wanted to prove his ability to play effectively attached to the line of scrimmage in the run game. NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock agreed with Kiper, saying that he made a major improvement in his overall game this season. ���You can see the ability to catch the football in traffic. I think every NFL team in the league knows that he is a vertical receiving threat despite the numbers this year,��� Mayock said. ���Let���s face it, every team they play is trying to take him out of the game. ���What���s really helped him is he���s made a commitment to block, which he wasn���t quite there last year. Whether he���s in line or detached, he���s blocking at a completely different level.��� ��� Dan Murphy