Manti Te’o played three seasons in New Orleans with Marshon Lattimore, those being Lattimore’s first three seasons in the league, so he knows exactly what the Commanders are getting in their trade deadline acquisition.
“One of the best teammates that I've ever had. We drafted him in 2017, my first year in New Orleans after I just came from San Diego, and Washington is getting one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL,” Te’o told Grant & Danny. “He’s really good at what he does because he's super competitive; we’ve all seen his battles with Mike Evans, but the fact of the matter is he battles with everybody like that; you should’ve seen the battles he had with Michael Thomas in practice. That’s the caliber of guy that Washington is getting, and we’ve seen what Dan Quinn can do with his corners.”
What is it that made Lattimore a great teammate?
“He was somebody where you could depend on him. You never had to worry about Marshon studying film or being ready to go, and he was somebody that I didn't have to worry about that side of the field with him,” Te’o said. “He always understood what his job was, and he executed that job at a rate that not a lot of people in the NFL could. For me, being the MIKE linebacker and green dot at times, not having to worry about one of the other 10 guys on the field at that at any given time was such a bonus. That goes to show not only his ability to perform between the whistles, but the preparation that he was doing around it. It all culminated to the success that we saw. He’s not a vocal guy, he just comes to work and puts the work in and competes and produces at a high level.”
Lattimore also does “the most complicated and most challenging things about the cornerback position very, very well,” so he may be the prototypical CB that Washington needs in Dan Quinn’s system.
“He plays man to man very well, and what Dan Quinn has liked to do over the years, he likes to run that split safety,” Te’o said. “This year he started to run a little a one-high, doing some Cover 1 man, and that aligns well perfectly with Marshon and the things that he likes to do. He’s very physical, but he's also very instinctual, and I think he is one of those special cornerbacks that fits very well with the system. He’s a giant slayer who always wants to go against the best, and you want that kind of guy on your team who’s not afraid to compete and won’t take crap from anybody.”
Take a listen to Te’o’s entire visit, as he also discusses things Lattimore can improve on, his thoughts on the 7-2 Commanders overall, and more!