1. Te'o does have talent, and the only real on-field question is whether he can perform as well against the abilities of NFL caliber players (he did struggle against Alamba in the NT game). If Te'o holds up to his talent in the NFL, he'll become one of its better linebackers, and the teams that passed on him due to the GF thing will be kicking themselves. If he can't hold up in the NFL, teams that would have taken him will be glad they GF thing kept them from doing it.
2. The Bills were said to have evaluated every QB extensively and thought Manuel was the best. If they're right they will be seen as genius later, and if they are wrong, they will be mocked for the pick. There is really no middle ground for them on this.
3. Smith has the tools if a team can teach him some other things he needs. It sounds like he needs to eat some humble pie first if he refused an interview because he didn't get taken where he expected.