Manti Te'o looks and sounds like a tired man.
Brooks: Position of strength?
Bucky Brooks checks in on the hotly anticipated linebackers and D-linemen at the combine -- including Manti Te'o. **More ...**
Sitting between Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock after another long day at the NFL Scouting Combine, the Notre Dame linebacker appeared he could nod off against Mayock's right shoulder at any moment.
Te'o again was the star in combine media coverage Monday, but this time it had nothing to do with, well, you know. This was about the time of Te'o's 40-yard dash, which was clocked at a less-than-impressive 4.82 seconds.
"I did OK," Te'o said when asked to rate his performance. "I obviously can do a lot better. A lot better, and that's what pro days are for."
Te'o said he'd been running 40 times near 4.6 during his training ahead of the combine. If so, it had to be bitterly disappointing to clock so poorly on this stage. But in his conversation with NFL Network, Te'o seemed too exhausted to even care.
Te'o has spoken with 20 of 32 teams since arriving in Indianapolis, with some days ending as late as 1 a.m. and beginning as soon as 4. You don't have to be a mathematician to figure out he's not getting enough sleep.
You can make the argument that Te'o's combine measurables have very little value. This guy was dealing with challenges none of the other prospects at Lucas Oil Stadium could imagine. (Have we forgotten that press conference? How about those interview topics?)
Te'o is looking forward to his pro day at Notre Dame, because he'll naturally be drawn to anything that promises some semblance of normalcy. He could use some of that right now.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
