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NFL Mock Draft 2013: Could Manti Te'o land in Minnesota?

The Minnesota Vikings have two first-round picks, and an NFL Draft analyst projects the team to use one on Manti Te'o.

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Manti Te'o is one of the more notable names in the 2013 NFL Draft, and at least one NFL Draft analyst projects Te'o to land in Minnesota.

Sports Illustrated's Don Banks released a new mock draft on Wednesday and in it, he predicts the Vikings will select Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and Notre Dame's Te'o. The Vikings are projected to select Patterson with the No. 23 pick. One of the top wide receivers in the draft, Patterson would combine with Greg Jennings to give the Vikings a formidable wide receiver duo.

Minnesota acquired the No. 25 pick in the Percy Harvin trade, and Banks projects them to use it on Te'o. The senior linebacker has questions on and off the field leading up to the draft. Te'o made headlines after it turned out he was the victim of an Internet hoax. On the field, he struggled in the National Championship game, leading some to question how he'll transition to the NFL.

With Patterson and Te'o, the Vikings would add a key piece to the offense and defense. SB Nation's Matthew Fairburn has a different projection, as his latest mock draft has Minnesota selecting Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd at No. 23 and Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown at No. 25. Fairburn projected Minnesota to take Louisiana Tech wide receiver Quinton Patton in the second round and North Carolina State cornerback David Amerson in the third.

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Photographs by Micah Taylor, clairity, and Fibonacci Blue used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.