Ian Rapoport: Vikings Will Trade Ahead of Bears to Draft Manti Te’o

Apr 20, 2013; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish former linebacker Manti Te

Ian Rapoport has given us this to chew on as we wait for the draft to begin:

There have been so many hints building in recent weeks that Te’o is the guy the Vikings love. But now we hear the Bears love him too. That info is also reflected in Mel Kiper’s final mock. So if the Vikings want Te’o they will have to move above the Bears. Will Rick Spielman make this trade happen? He certainly has enough picks to make a trade. But is Te’o worth it? Is Spielman’s apparent man crush on Te’o strong enough to make him do this? Should Spielman just hold tight, let the Bears have Te’o and pick one of the other available linebackers?

Te’o is far from a can’t-miss prospect. There are questions about him. But the Vikings may have convinced themselves that they must have this guy. They may think he is perfect for their scheme. They may believe that he has the instincts and leadership to lock down the MLB position for years to come.

We can argue about Te’o’s merits until we are blue in the face. All the evidence supports the notion that the Vikings love this guy and will trade up to get him. Let’s hope the Bears aren’t somehow bluffing Spielman into making a trade. But we know Slick Rick never sees ghosts and panics, right?

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