Giants' Cruz: I'd 'Definitely' Ask Manti Te'o About Hoax Saga

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- How will the blockbuster surrounding Manti Te'o and his not-so-dead, not-so-real girlfriend affect the NFL draft board?

That remains to be seen. Some analysts and early mock-drafters had the Notre Dame star going to the Giants in the first round at No. 19.

New York wide receiver Victor Cruz said Friday that if Te'o ended up on Big Blue, he'd "definitely" ask the linebacker all about what happened.

"I just got to feel him out first. I got to kind of see, you know, get his personality a little bit," Cruz told WFAN's Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. "I want to get to know him on a more personal level. And then once I get comfortable with him, I'm definitely going to bring it up and ask him 'Hey man, what exactly went down?' I want to know the whole story of how it unfolded."

"Hopefully at that time we can kind of joke around about it -- or do something differently -- so it's not as tense as it is right now," he added.

Deadspin.com broke the story Wednesday afternoon, saying Te'o's girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, never existed -- and therefore never died of leukemia. Notre Dame and Te'o both insisted he was the victim of a cruel, elaborate joke.

Te'o's story hit the national stage after an emotional win against Michigan State in Sept., following the deaths of his grandmother and "girlfriend." Kekua's passing was widely reported as fact.

Many have questioned whether Te'o was in on the hoax.

"It'll all smooth over for him," said Cruz. "I mean, my perception of him is he's a good person, he's a good guy. And hopefully he can get away from all this mayhem."

Cruz said he would never have engaged in an online-only relationship.

"Uh, no," he said. "I was one of those guys, I've got to see you in person. I got to be able to feel you and touch you."

Do you think it'll smooth over for Manti? Be heard in the comments...