Jan 7, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te’o. Photo: US Presswire

With Te’o's leadership being one of the most enticing qualities about him, his value to a team has drastically dropped, with one scout even saying that he was going to remove Te’o from his board entirely. Te’o has average size for an inside linebacker at 6’2″ and 255 pounds with average speed and great intangibles. With many questioning the Lions leadership in the locker room, the last thing the Lions can afford to do is draw more negative attention to the team and to the front office who is already being questioned after a 4-12 season.

It’s still a long way to April when the NFL draft takes place. Maybe this will blow over for Te’o, maybe he’s innocent, or maybe he falls from grace and into the second round, or even the third round. If Te’o is sitting on the board that late in the draft would the Lions take a chance on Te’o? Would you?

I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to the Lions trading back into the end of the second round for Te’o if free agents DeAndre Levy and Justin Durant part from the team. If the linebacking corps is in tact by the time the draft roles around however, I avoid Te’o and look to improve the team in other areas, particularly the secondary.

Dec 17, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te’o. Photo Credit: US Presswire

By now I’m sure you’ve heard about the Deadspin article calling into serious questions whether the girlfriend of Manti Te’o who supposedly died days before Notre Dame played against Michigan State ever existed. The fact that such a story, which was widely repeated across various national media sources, may have been entirely fake has big time ramifications for what will happen with Te’o in the NFL Draft.

Notre Dame claims Te’o is the victim of a scam and that he was duped by an internet persona. Maybe that is true, or even in part, but that still leaves room for plenty of lies from Te’o. He has some very interesting interviews ahead of him as he meets with teams ahead of the draft.

Te’o was a hot name in early mock drafts, frequently rising as high as fifth overall to be selected by the Detroit Lions. That has since cooled for reasons not related to yesterday’s bomb shell, but Te’o was still seen as a sure-fire first round pick. That may have all changed as in a matter of days as Te’o, who was once seen as a high character prospect, may now have to be evaluated with the stain of character concerns.

While it is clear Lions fans should not want Te’o to join the team with the fifth overall pick, the question is worth considering whether or not he should join the team at all. It’s not a far-fetched or over-the-top, knee-jerk question at all. Consider this:

NFC Scout on Manti Te’o: “We likely will just cross him off our big board altogether.”

— Jimmy Kingman (@JimmyKingman) January 16, 2013

Who knows, maybe that NFC scout works for the Lions.

The Lions have a serious need for playmakers on their defense and that is exactly what Te’o was for the Fighting Irish defense in 2012. But is he too much of a gamble? Is he actually a gamble at all? Vote in the poll below and feel free to use the comments section to let us know what round, if any, you would be comfortable with the Lions taking Te’o.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Logan Ryan (11) against Temple Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

With Martin Mayhew and his staff carrying over some of the draft strategy from the previous regime, er circus, of Matt Millen and friends, the irony shouldn’t be lost that the Lions actually may need another wide receiver with the injuries to 2011 second round pick, Ryan Broyles, steady veteran Nate Burleson’s broken leg, and 2010 second round pick Titus Young immaturity.

Let’s pretend Burleson’s right leg fully heals and he makes good on his word that he wants to retire in Detroit, albeit at a pay cut. Furthermore, assume Broyles is fully healed and jumps right back in and continues developing his rapport with Matthew Stafford. What happens with Titus Young is anyone’s guess. Despite what appeared to be the former Boise State standout seemingly pouting his way out of town, it’s still possible the team takes him back.

If those things happen, and even if Burleson and Young don’t return, its obvious Mayhew must do what he’s never done before—spend his first two picks on the defensive side of the ball.

If I had my druthers, this is how things will play out over the three-day bonanza in late April, known as the NFL draft.

1^st round – Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame
Height: 6-2
Weight: 255

Forget for a moment all the talk about the leadership and character makeup this Hawaiian will bring to the Lions locker room and huddle. Never mind the unbelievable resolve he showed in East Lansing when he man-handled the Spartans after the passing of both his grandmother and girlfriend within 24 hours only days earlier. Manti Te’o is the best defensive player in this draft. Period.

He has the chance to do for this defense what Chris Spielman did, and then some. Singing the praises of everything Te’o does well could easily fill a couple pages here. To put it rather succinctly, he doesn’t miss tackles. He adds a certain level of intimidation in the middle of the field and he’s very effective on blitzes but just as capable dropping back in coverage.

Te’o is an every-down high impact player. If he’s there at No. 5 overall, the only thing that could screw this up is if Mayhew tries to get cute and stick to his “best player available” theory if he somehow believes the BPA is someone other than Te’o.  Outside of quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive tackle, it would be hard to argue against Mayhew’s normal BPA strategy because the Lions simply lack the talent at so many positions. However, if Te’o is there he simply can’t be passed up.

For all the naysayers, especially those quick to jump off the Te’o bandwagon after a pretty average showing against Alabama in the National Championship game, ‘Good Riddance’, I say to you! Even though he still came up with 10 tackles, Te’o missed more tackles in this game than he did all season.

Who knows, maybe everything takes a fortuitous turn in the Lions favor, and the hype slows down come early spring and Mayhew can add that elusive fourth rounder by moving back a few spots by swapping picks with the Buffalo Bills or New York Jets, 8^th and 9^th overall, respectively.