Manti Te’o knew Alvin Kamara would be special from his first day at minicamp

Manti Te’o knew Alvin Kamara would be special from his first day at minicamp. He had to demonstrate how the then-rookie running back put him in a blender:

Manti Te’o says he knew Alvin Kamara would be special from their first day at minicamp back in 2017. The veteran linebacker had followed his position coach Mike Nolan to join the New Orleans Saints that offseason, and he was eager to show the team what he could do at their first real day of practice.

But Te’o had to shrug when he was matched up with a rookie running back for individual drills, only to feel confused when the offensive coaches started grinning knowingly.

Te’o has joined NFL Network’s Good Morning Football studio show, and this week he had to get up and demonstrate how Kamara put him in a blender. It’s clear that he gained a lot of respect for Kamara after an eye-opening rep at practice.

And Te’o hopes the new offense being called by Klint Kubiak will feature Kamara doing what he does best in situations just like what he described: “He’s somebody that I hope, I hope that the New Orleans Saints don’t use him to block like they were using him last year. That’s the worst thing you do with him. That’s not what he’s going to make the Hall of Fame for. He’s going to make the Hall of Fame for getting the ball.”

Te’o said there’s just one other running back who is as challenging to cover as Kamara — San Francisco 49ers superstar Christian McCaffrey. Hopefully Kubiak’s firsthand experience to how McCaffrey has been used applies to his vision for Kamara. Since entering the league in 2017, McCaffrey is the only player in the NFL with more receptions (509) than Kamara (505). Te’o added, “I played against both of them. Them in the backfield, it is impossible to guard them.”

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