Manti Te'o recently asked teams to judge him from his playing tape, not his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine. The former Notre Dame linebacker, however, had a prediction for his pro day 40-yard dash on March 26.
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"Obviously, faster than a 4.8," Te'o told Chicago Tribune reporter Brian Hamilton. "We'll see what happens."
The Heisman Trophy finalist was being praised around the country before the BCS Championship game, but things have changed since. He was a non-factor in the title game, exposed for believing he was dating the nonexistent Lennay Kekua and ran a syrupy 4.82-second 40-yard dash at the combine.
Te'o said he's run a 4.6 in training, and the stress of the combine affected his performance.
"It's difficult to balance things and to stay as focused on what you got to do," Te'o said. "But for me, I'm glad that the combine is done. I've finished that, and now I'm focused on more specific things like my 40 and I don't have to worry so much about other things.
"It's difficult. I'm not going to say it's easy because it's hard, but it's definitely something you can work through."
There will be a lot of eyes on South Bend, Ind., come March 26.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
