Manti Te'o not picked in first round draft

• Tweet

Manti Te'o's NFL dreams were put on hold for at least one day when he was passed over in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday.

Te'o, the linebacker who wowed fans at Notre Dame, finishing second in voting for the Heisman trophy, and then became the subject of fascination as the victim of a catfishing hoax.

But Te'o's draft disappointment almost certainly came as a result of a disappointing finish to his college career and an unimpressive showing in front of the scouts.

Te'o struggled in the BCS championship against Alabama against a line of future pros and ran a slow 4.82 seconds in the 40-yard-dash at the NFL scouting combine.

Although Te'o was a star among college football fans, playing All-American and led the defense of Notre Dame's undefeated season, he became a household name in January when it was revealed the girlfriend who supposedly died of cancer was a phony who tricked Te'o into an online relationship.

Te'o was considered a likely late first-round or early-second round pick going into Thursday's draft.