SB Nation 2010 Draft Profiles -- Safeties
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Will Eric Berry crack the top-five of the NFL Draft? SB Nation's Rocky Top Talk scouts the former Vol.
SI's Peter King has an interesting nugget in his Monday Morning Quarterback column today. He breaks down the risks involved with taking a safety high in the draft.
Eric Berry out of Tennessee is commonly associated with the Chiefs at the fifth pick in the draft. That's higher than a safety is generally drafted and King passes along a story from Chiefs GM Scott Pioli's good friend and former colleague, Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff.
Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff calls the safety-at-the-top-of-the-draft debate a conundrum. "It's been on my mind a lot lately," he said, "and I realize I'm speaking out of both sides of my mouth here, but Berry's a really good player. It's been on my mind quite a bit recently. You want the good hitter with hip movement, able to turn and run, but then reality sets in.
I was talking to [Kansas City GM] Scott Pioli about Berry, and I said, 'Scott, this guy's your pick.' And he said, 'You know how I feel about safeties that early.' And I understand.''
The NFL draft is a time for smoke screens but if Pioli was telling the truth to Dimitroff, then Berry doesn't appear to be the Chiefs guy with the fifth pick.
Eric Berry reportedly suffered a “left big toe sprain” on Wednesday at the Tennessee pro day.
Romeo Crennel was running the workout when Berry was injured. Jim Trotter of SI.com was there:
Eric says he stepped in what felt like a hole in the field. Felt a tingle in his toe. KC D-coord told him to shut it down and get it checked
SB Nation’s Cincy Jungle takes a look at the Berry injury and wonders whether he could be wearing stripes one day.
For all other draft needs, look no further than Mocking The Draft.
Eric Berry is the total package, excelling at everything expected of star defensive backs. He's an incredibly fierce hitter, anticipating plays to get to just the right spot at just the right time so that he can launch himself at the ball carrier with a bone-crunching, perfect form tackle. He also uses his high intelligence, game savvy, and closing speed to read passing plays and bait quarterbacks into throwing interceptions. After interceptions and fumble recoveries, he uses field vision, sneaky quick moves and angles, and pure speed to rack up yards.
Berry's not just a star athlete, though. He is a genuine, quality character guy who will not only keep himself out of trouble, but go out of his way to keep others out of trouble as well. South Carolina offensive tackle Rokevious Watkins credits Berry with keeping him from a life of using and dealing drugs, and when star freshman safety Janzen Jackson was arrested (the charges were later dismissed) for armed robbery, Berry moved Jackson into his off-campus house to help get him back on the right path.
In his first two seasons, Berry compiled 12 interceptions and a staggering 487 yards on interception returns. After only a half of a typical college career, Berry was a mere 15 yards from having the NCAA career record for interception return yards. It seemed like the guy could steal the ball at will, and when he got it, he was gone:
Despite playing one more season, Berry never did get the record. No, for Berry's junior season, Monte Kiffin utilized him in various atypical roles for a safety, primarily keeping him close to the line of scrimmage to shut down opponents' run games. This is probably the biggest reason that Berry's Heisman campaign fizzled, but that does not mean that he didn't have a fantastic, highlight-filled final season for the Volunteers:
Berry is frightened of horses and bees. Seriously. Equines scare him, and I once saw video of him ducking under a table at an autograph session when a bee buzzed by, although I can no longer find the video of that.
Most mock drafts have Berry being drafted as either the second or third pick overall, although I've seen one site have him as low as 6th. Despite the hype and the overwhelming expectations, you really can't say that he's overrated and you can make an argument for underrated. After all, Berry came to Tennessee with those same expectations (he was RTT#1 in the Class of 2007 (lots of good stuff at that link)), and he not only lived up to them, he exceeded them.
Eric Berry vs. Taylor Mays: who's better? - Rocky Top Talk
Tennessee's Eric Berry and Southern Cal's Taylor Mays are both elite defensive backs, but which one is better?
UTSports pwns bloggers with its Eric Berry viral video campaign - Rocky Top Talk
Tennessee executes a well-conceived practical joke on its fans in the first week of the Eric Berry for Heisman viral video campaign.
Getting to know Tennessee's class of 2007: No. 1, athlete Eric Berry - Rocky Top Talk
Should Eric Berry win the Thorpe Award? - Rocky Top Talk
Eric Berry had the best statistical season of any defensive back in college football last year...and lost the Thorpe Award to a guy with better name recognition. Now, the roles are reversed...will he win tonight?
Talking Points: Eric Berry's long goodbye begins - Rocky Top Talk
The day's news for Tennessee Volunteer fans, including a must-read feature piece by Wes Rucker on Eric Berry.
Talking Points: Eric Berry tells Ed Reed to shut up - Rocky Top Talk
The day's news links for Tennessee Volunteer fans, including Eric Berry telling Baltimore Ravens' safety Ed Reed to shut up, not believing he was really on the phone.
Talking points: Eric Berry fails, makes mistake, earth moves - Rocky Top Talk
A quick roundup of the day's news for Tennessee Volunteer fans, including an Armageddon item -- Eric Berry attempting to force a fumble and failing, followed by a dropped interception.
Talking points: we interrupt this coaching search to bring you Eric Berry edition - Rocky Top Talk
A round up of all the Tennessee Volunteers news of the day.
Devotion of Watkins, Berry goes beyond blood - Rocky Top Talk
Your best source for quality Tennessee Volunteers news, rumors, analysis, stats and scores from the fan perspective.
Talking Points: Monte Kiffin says Eric Berry a quick study - Rocky Top Talk
The day's news links for Tennessee Volunteer fans, including Monte Kiffin's assessment of Eric Berry's ability to learn the T-2 quickly.
Best Plays of 2008: Eric Berry's Third Interception of the Year - Rocky Top Talk
Eric Berry's interception against the Northern Illinois Huskies, his third of the season, is one of the Best Plays of 2008.
Best Plays of 2008: EBWACC (Eric Berry's Wake Always Contains Carnage) - Rocky Top Talk
Eric Berry's interception and 45-yard return against the South Carolina Gamecocks is one of the Tennessee Volunteers' Best Plays of 2008.
Best Plays of 2008: By Guess Who . . . Eric Berry - Rocky Top Talk
Eric Berry's 45-yard pick six against Vanderbilt is one of the Tennessee Volunteers' Best Plays of 2008.
The RTT Best Play of 2008 is . . . Eric Berry Clobbers Knowshon Moreno - Rocky Top Talk
Out of 15 plays, Eric Berry's shot on Knowshon Moreno is chosen as the Best Play of 2008.
| Games Played |
Rushing | Total Offense |
Receiving | |||||||
| Rushes | Gain | Loss | Net | TDs | Plays | Yds | No | Yds | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | 7 | 44 | 7 | 37 | 0 | 7 | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Int. Ret. | Fum. Ret. | Kickoff Ret. |
Pts | |||||||
| No | Yds | TD | No | Yds | TD | No | Yds | TD | TTL TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 494 | 3 | 4 | 103 | 0 | 6 | 132 | 0 | 3 | 18 |
| Tackles | Passes Defended |
Forced Fumbles |
QB Hurries | ||||
| Ast | Solo | Asst Loss | Solo Loss | Loss Yds | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 | 157 | 3 | 16 | 45 | 17 | 2 | 3 |
Eric Berry Visiting The Bucs, Chiefs, Browns And Eagles
Eric Berry is starting to schedule pre-draft visits, according to the National Football Post.
The Bucs (3), Chiefs (5) and Browns (7) could all be in position to select Berry. All three of those teams also need safety help.
The Eagles are the wildcard here. They're not picking until the bottom half of the first round and the only way they would get Berry is by trading up.
Read more draft talk at Mocking The Draft.
Mar 26 10:13a by Joel Thorman - 0 comments