Draft Season

Eric Berry is one of the few players in this draft that gets an elite grade. His position isn't the position of the highest value so he will not be the top pick, but he's got enough talent to be that top pick. When you hear the Ed Reed comparisons you have to think a player that instantly upgrades a Defense and can single handily change a game. Any team that lands him is going to have an all-pro and most likely the best safety in the game. Yes, even better than Troy Polumalu! Monte Kiffen, who is one of the best coordinators in football, calls Berry the complete package. Saying he can run, hit, is smart, and is a leader.

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Berry has so many strong points that it's going to be impossible to list them all. There are countless good reports on him across the web, in magazines, and on television. On the field he has a ton of athleticism. He has great short range quickness and good long range speed. If he gets beat, which is rare, he has great recovery speed. He is excellent at getting out of his backpedal and gets a great jump on the ball. His footwork is better than anyone currently at Safety in the NFL. He can hit hard and play physical, when he makes hits you can hear them. He is what is called a three tier Safety. He can play the run, play the deep ball, and cover the intermediate routes. He has great route recognition and instincts. He has excellent hands and when he makes the pick he can take it to the house at any time, like Ed Reed.

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Those are just the physical tools Berry has. His intangibles are also very good. He is a great leader for Tennessee. He is very intelligent, will have no problem picking up NFL schemes and game plans. Reports are that his work ethic is second to none, which is probably correct. You don't become this level of a player without extremely hard work. He is selfless, an ESPN the magazine article on him says he doesn't care about individual accolades. When Malcolm Jenkins beat him out for the Thorpe Award he said he didn't mind and that it would just make him work harder because he's told he isn't the best.

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Really there aren't any significant weaknesses to report on Berry. He doesn't have great height, but he plays so big it really doesn't matter. He gets a little high while in his backpedal, but he comes out of it so fluid that doesn't really affect him. Other than that he's about as close to the perfect Safety as your going to get.

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Eric Berry should end up being a top 5 draft pick. He may not due to his position, but anyone that lands him outside the top 5 will be getting a steal. If you see him slide past the 5th pick you may have a number of teams trying to trade up and get him. Especially teams that may be one player away on Defense from being dominant such as the Bengals or Packers. He's the complete player and probably a future Hall of Famer. It's hard to call a college player that, but barring major injury I think he's headed to Canton.

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2007: 86 Tackles, Interceptions 5 for 222 yards, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 TD

2008: 72 Tackles, 3 Sacks, Interceptions 7 for 265 yards, 2 TDs

2009: 83 Tackles, Interceptions 2 for 7 yards, 1 Forced Fumble