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Prospect Profiles: S Eric Berry (Tennessee)
O.K. so I give in. I know there are more than a few of you out there who are intersted in the Giants moving up to get Eric Berry, and while I am not one of them I’ll respect your wishes and profile Mr. Berry.
Let me first start off with a trade value chart becuase I can not see Eric Berry lasting later than 7th under any conditions that do not involve a significant injury during a pre-draft workout.
(Walterfooball.com is where I got the chart you can get it in a lot of places though. Profootballtalk.com and 1,00o others).
the 15th overall pick is worth 1,050 points. The 2nd round pick, or 47th pick, is worth 430, 3rd is 195, 4th is worth 72, 5th 34.5, 6th 21.4, 7th is worth 8.6
To move up to 7th it would cost the Giants a 1st, a 2nd, and a 6th (you could live with that becuase you’d still get four other picks)
to move up to 6th it would cost the Giants a 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th (eh. not ideal)
to move up to 5th it would cost the Giants a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th (No thank you)
to move up to 4th it would cost the Giants a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th. (Only if you’re Mike Ditka looking for Ricky Williams)
You get the point.
To move up anywhere past 7th would be very, very costly.
Now, maybe the trade value chart has changed, and you could get it for less than the value chart indicates, but if you want to move up to 5th (latest I think Eric Berry will be drafted) it’s probably a 1st, a 3rd, and 4th and 7th or something. I mean you’d still get a 2nd round pick and a 5th round pick, but that’s a lot to give up before you pay the guy top ten money.
So now that you understand the cost of moving up let’s get to Eric Berry.
Prodraft Party Video
Measurables
5′11 200 pounds. Born December 29, 1989. Junior.
via Cbs Draft Scout Full name: James Eric Berry … Born: Dec. 29, 1988. Father, James Berry, was a three-year starter, four-year letterman and 1981 team captain for the Vols … Aspiring dentist is currently serving an internship at a dental office in Georgia …
His blood lines are so good, his thirteen year old brother has already committed to Teeneessee
Stats
Career: 214 tackles, 2 FF, 14 INT (three years)
2009: 83 tackles (54 solo), 1 FF, 2 INT, 7 passes defensed.
Big Games:
VS UCLA 10 tackles
@ Florida 11 tackles (9 solo), 1 INT
vs Auburn 14 tackles (11 solo), 1 pass defensed
vs Alabama 5 tackles 2 passes defensed
@ Mississippi 8 tackles
Eric Berry was very productive every year he was at Teenessee. He was good vs the run and very good in pass coverage. In 2008 he had 7 INT in the 12 games he played 2 of which he brought back to the house.
Just a very productive College football player.
He even had 37 career rushing yards and 1 career reception.
Scouting Reports
Walterfootball.com
Strengths:
Extremely productive Highly athletic Great initial quickness; short-range explosion Nice recovery speed Terrific instincts; anticipates the play Smooth athlete Fluid hips Shows textbook footwork Absolute playmaker Can really lay the wood Physical and violent player Interception machine Does a great job of reading the quarterback’s eyes Gets out of backpedal cleanly and breaks on ball Soft hands Good route recognition Doesn’t miss tackles Elite range in pass coverage Turns INTs into TDs Aggressive against the run Closes in on ball-carrier quickly Scheme and position versatility (FS or SS) Plays through pain Elite skill set Very intelligent Nice work ethic Weaknesses: Lacks some upper body strength Average height Inconsistent when taking angles against the run Could perfect his backpedal as he has a tendency to get too high Left shoulder needs to check out medicallySummary: Eric Berry is an elite talent and a top-10 pick. It is as simple as that, barring injury next season. Berry is one of those few individuals where it just seems like this is what he was born to do. He is a natural on the football field with the intangibles to boot. He will also be coached by one of the best defensive coordinators of all time in Monte Kiffin who knows how to coach the strong safety position (John Lynch and Jermaine Phillips).What really impresses me about Berry is he reportedly played all of the 2008 season with a nagging shoulder injury, which he then had surgery on in December. Berry is the No. 1 prospect in the 2010 NFL Draft, in my opinion.Player Comparison: Ed Reed. Both players are 5-11 with a surreal knack for the game of football and have the ball skills, range, and playmaking ability you look for.
Scouting Report-Berry is one of those special players in the secondary that don’t come along very often. Going into the season I figured it would be he, and Taylor Mays head to head to be the first defensive back off the board, but Mays isn’t in his league. Berry is so smart, and just has that “it” factor when it comes to making the right play. Whether it’s sniffing out a screen pass, baiting a quarterback into a throw, or coming up and stuffing the run, Berry is always there for the play. He plays with a very aggressive nature but it’s always under control, and he uses that to his advantage. He’s going to have a great 40 time, but in short bursts is where is speed is most evident. He can play any safety spot, and it wouldn’t shock me if he played some cornerback in the NFL as well. He’s such a hard working player, I’m not sure there’s anything he can’t do. He’s got the best hands of any dback in the draft, and does a great job picking the ball up in the air, and making the interception instead of just the knockdown. The biggest knock on Berry might be the combination of a shoulder injury mixed with his overly aggressive nature/average size. I have to wonder if Berry is going to be a Troy Polamalu type who has a huge impact on the game, but will be out of the lineup periodically with injuries from that aggressive and explosive style.
Draft Status-The importance of a dominant safety cannot be stressed enough in this league. Every great defense has a player in the back 4 who can dictate the game on some level. There aren’t these type of players in every draft, so Berry will be coveted early in the first round. Probably the top 10 picks. This is of course assuming his shoulder checks out clean, but even if not, he won’t fall far.
Final Analysis-Aside from Ndamukong Suh, Berry is the best defensive player in the country and in this upcoming draft. His impact on opposing offenses will be noticeable early, and his ability to elevate his play will make whatever defense he’s playing on, look even better. Berry is sort of a mad scientist mix of skills that make him so valuable in today’s NFL. Berry is going to blow people away this offseason who haven’t gotten to see him play and by next April, the Berry hype machine will be full speed ahead.
Reminds me of: Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers-I could have said Ed Reed here as well and been able to make a comparison as well. But for me, the level of intensity and suddeness that Berry plays with, reminds me a lot of the Steeler great. Both are a little undersized, incredible speed and quickness, great hands and a tendency to play a little too aggressive at times.
Big Board Rankings (2/7/10)
Drafttek 2nd
Draft Board Insider.com 3rd
ESPN Scouts Inc 3rd
CBS NFL Draft Scout 2
Walterfootball.com 1
Where the Mocks Have Him Falling (2/7/10)
Walterfootball 6th (Seahawks)
Draftboard insider 5th (Cheifs)
Mel. Kiper Jr. 3rd (Buccaneers)
Drafttek.com 3rd (Buccaneers)
Bartolis Summary and Final Verdict
What can you say about Eric Berry? He’s the most hyped up safety I’ve seen in a long time…and is probably the most hyped Safety prospect since Sean Taylor…Taylor was well on his way to becoming an exceptional N.F.L. player before he was tragically murdered.
Taylor had 14 INT in three and a half seasons of N.F.L. play including 5 in 9 games in 2007. To go along with 8 FF.
He was a dynamic play maker in the N.F.L. and Eric Berry might be a slightly more talented player than Taylor was at the same stage in their careers.
Eric Berry has the skill set to become Ed Reed…and that is the biggest comparision he always draws.
Berry is fast, he has good natural football skills. He is always in the right position against the run….he’s very good with the ball AFTER he intercepts it (which is probably where most of the Ed Reed comparisions come from) and Eric Berry WILL be drafted by Cleveland at #7 if he is there. Profootballtalk.com is already reporting that the Browns think they have two players on their entire Secondarysquad that are N.F.L. caliber players.
So at this preliminary stage it looks like they are going to be targeting Eric Berry, Taylor Mays, Earl Thomas, or Joe Haden.
I can see no cirumstance in which Eric Berry makes it past Cleveland at 7…like I said unless he tears his A.C.L. and will miss all of the 2010 season…and then maybe he’d fall to the Giants at 15th.
Moving up to #7 might be O.K. to swallow for the New York Giants, but moving up any higher could be detrimental to the franchise moving forward.
First it cost a lot as far as draft picks go…and secondly it costs a lot as far as money goes…if there is ever a salary cap again it could negatively impact the Giant salary cap numbers who also have a lot of money tied into Eli Manning.
Eric Berry is a dynamic college player and has EVERY ingredient you’d look for in a futur pro. He’s smart, has elite athletic ability, has natural football intelligence and works hard.
He has a low bust rate and a very high Pro-Bowl rate.
I would LOVE to see Eric Berry on the New York Giants next year…but I would NOT trade the draft away in order to do so…if the Giants do make that call ( I highly doubt it) than you can’ t complain about getting Berry but you can be worried about the future.
Previous Profiles
DT/NT Dan Williams (Updated with K.C. Joyner’s Draft Lab 2/7)
DT Jared Odrick
OT Anthony Davis (UPDATED 2/5/10)
ILB Brandon Spikes
ILB Rolando McClain
This post has 18 comments
February 8th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Given this is what they say about Kenny Phillip’s condition I think we need a stud at Safety. Kenny may be down and out.
“Treatment of patellofemoral problems is difficult. Disabling knee pain and patellofemoral breakdown may not respond to any of these limited surgical interventions. Sometimes it’s necessary to remove the patella completely. This is considered a more radical approach but it’s a simple and safe procedure that works. The down side is that the patient is left with a big loss in knee extension strength.
One alternative to just a patellectomy alone is a patellar replacement. A screw-on patellar shell is used to replace the patella once it is removed. Early efforts at patellofemoral replacement resulted in as many failures as successes. Newer designs and 3-D technology for designing the implant to fit the patient have improved overall results.
If all efforts fail to improve symptoms, motion, and function, then a total knee replacement (TKR) may be the final choice”
Doesnt sound good. Draft the phenom and trade for the rest. We have plenty of fat we can shave
February 8th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
How is it wasting the draft (detrimental to the future) if you draft the next Ed reed. So what if we trade away a few picks to get him. Ed reed is a game changer and so can he. Why keep your 4th 5th 6th 7th round picks if all were going to draft are people like Bryan kehl, Jonathan goff, Zack deoasie and players that will never be more than special teamers. He’s the best safety in 5 years and the giants need help at safety. You trade your 1,3,6,7 or whatever you said and we do it. I don’t understand how that would be a waste of a draft. Drafting the second best player and filling a team need.
February 8th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
He is going to be gone at 3, latest would be 5 i believe. That is definitly more than 1,3,6,7.
Its going to be closer to a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and a 6th. That going to be 5 or 6 players. That way too mcuh for one player, and considering we have needs at MLB, DT, and OT, I dont want to be giving up value player to satisfy one need.
Part of the reason Ed Reed is great, is because he has playmakers around him- Ray Lewis, a good pass rush.
Same goes for Troy in Pitt. Just because you have the best player at the position, its not going to make you a great team. And lets say he gets hurt in training camp, which happens A lot to rookies, then what? What does the draft show?
The Risk vs Reward is not worth trading up to the top 5 to get him, especially considereing we have the two-hundrenth and something saftey (7th round pick) that is starting for us. There are a lot of good safties in this draft, they say Earl Thomas has better ball skills then Berry. And it wouldnt cost us anything by selecting Thomas with our 1st round pick.
If we do any trading in the draft, I would almost rather us trade back, because there are a lot of good players in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
February 9th, 2010 at 10:45 am
Michael S.
There are two possibilites you have to consider
A) Eric Berry does NOT work out.
It’s happened before. Ryan Leaf was suppose to have better intangibles than Peyton Manning.
Robert Gallery was supposed to be the next great player.
There have been many ’sure things’ that dont’ work out.
Option B) even though next year will be uncapped, it’s likely that 2011 (if an agreement is reached) will be a capped season. The Giants have a lot of money invested in a lot of good players: Eli Manning, Tuck, Corey Webster, Chris Canty (well hasn’t showed good yet)…and they also have a few players they are going to have to pay very soon
Steve Smith the best example.
Kiwianuka if they want to keep him.
So it cost a lot as far as draft picks go…and Eric Berry if he’s drafted as high as we think…and the way the top 10 of the draft work out wil probably be one of the 5 highest paid Safeties in the league.
Two problems.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Using Gallery and Leaf to compare to Berry possibly being a bust is a bit out of line. Anyone with game knowledge knows that OL (Tony Mandarich) and QB (Heath Shuler) are the two most common top of the draft busts. Most safeties drafted that high usually pan out or at the least are serviceable players. Berry WILL be a great player, barring serious debilitating injuries (he’s THAT good), and if Fewell had Jairus Byrd playing like Ed Reed, imagine what we could get out of Reed’s heir apparent.
February 9th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Jason C.
Insert whichever players you want to
My point was simply that
A) it cost a lot in terms of draft prospects
(and has purely a ball-hawk I don’t think Earl Thomas is THAT far behind Berry…Berry’s a much better overall player)
B) a lot of money
C) Hyped up prospects don’t always turn out to be what they can be.
Maybe Berry will just be solid like a Eric Weddle or somebody or maybe he’ll be Ed Reed or Brian Dawkins…
I think this draft…with all of the juniors that entered is an above average draft class…and this is not a year I’d want to be giving up picks to get other players.
a Player that falls to 15, like an Anthony Davis or Earl Thomas or Brian Price could all have easily been top 10 picks next year.
That’s my point.
Players CAN bust.
LaRon Landry isn’t that great.
Michael Huff not that great.
Donte Whitner not that great.
These are the last three players to be drafted in the top 10 at Safety.
Would you give up two first rounders and a second rounder for any of them.
By the way the other Secondary players drafted that high (since 2003) were Antrel Rolle (at CB…good safety now), Pacman Jones, Carlos Rodgers, Sean Taylor, Dunta Robinson, and deAngelo Hall and Terrance Newman.
Would you trade two first rounders and a second rounder for ANY of those players…
I would not.
February 10th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
Yes, but Landry, Huff, or Whitner, would all be starting for the Giants at safety, and would be an indefinite improvement over what they put out last year. Neither is an all out BUST, you hardly see those in the defensive backfield. CB/S’s can get by with athleticism alone, sure having the right head for the game helps them excel, but unlike other positions it isn’t necessary. Berry is the most sure bet in this draft, and as most experts are saying, a once in a generation talent, I recognize the amount of talent in the draft, but why not get the best? I do like Mays too, but he’s nowhere near Berry, but unlike with you, to me Earl Thomas doesn’t look like anything special.
February 8th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
couldnt have said it any better. im in total agreement with michael s.(by the way, it would a 1,3,4,7) then in round 2, BPA wether its lb, rb, dt, ol and round 5 bpa again.
February 8th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
the giants also have playmakers and a great pass rush. thank you guiseppe.lol i would still be ecstatic if we got earl thomas with the 1st round pick
ps. lets pickup vince wilfork in F.A hes great in a 3-4 NT spot. imagine hm with less blockers to fend off. oufffff
February 9th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
I love this idea, Wilfork is the exact kind of personality we need on this team. I’m sick and tired of being taken advantage of by the cheapshotting, facemask pulling, helmet to knee hitting, low down dirty no good Eagles, Cowboys, and Redskins every year, while we sit back and pull a Kevin Boss trying to hide from Brian Dawkins like groundhog seeing his shadow.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:03 am
I agree, Berry has potential to be a great Safety. The giants should not bet the farm to find out. Trading all your draft picks to find out if he is indeed the next Ed Reed is a little too expensive. What if he is not?
By the way Garafolo is reporting that Phillips is ahead of schedule, so I don’t see a need for a Safety in the first round. There are more pressing needs.
I still like McClain at 15.
February 9th, 2010 at 8:02 am
I like mcclain to butttt, just because kp is coming back doesn’t mean we don’t need another ball hawking safety. Its hard to choose between McCain and Earl Thomas. If mcclain is available, then draft him and draft safety round two.
One more thing. If the BPA is Joe Haden at 15, they should seriously consider moving Ross to full time safety but only if the BPA is better than safety or MLB.
February 9th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Michael S.
Agreed.
I don’t think Haden will be available…I think Earl Thomas and even Rolando McClain is more likely to be available than Joe Haden (reportedly Cleveland really likes Haden right now)
Plus Haden is by far and away the best CB prospect, because he’s so better comparatively between 5-10 will probably not wait around to the second round to get a CB.
February 9th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Last year the Giants had to let go of players they liked, to keep draft picks on the roster and had a problem with having to keep too many people at certain positions, leaving them bare at S, TE, and CB. This year the WR situation should be a little better, but there still are at most (after free agency where we should sign at least 2 able bodies), 6-8 positions to fill. The people who think we should spend our top draft pick on a defensive lineman certainly don’t see the issues we ran into last year. We have a dire need at safety, and even if we are able to sign a guy like Bethea, I still think Berry is the pick, trade whatever you have to, they obviously won’t trade their ENTIRE draft, but our first, second, (fifth or sixth), and next years first shouldn’t be out of the question. This defense needs to get WAY more athletic and quick. I’m of the few people who would want to keep Pierce in the middle (because of his game intelligence, experience, and intensity) while building a more athletic unit around him. There’s some pieces in place and adding a couple of ballhawks in the secondary can make this a top 10 league-wide unit. A few weeks after the season, I no longer feel Berry is of absolute necessity, but he certainly could be the key to fixing our biggest weakness going into next year.
February 9th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
Do you remember the saints and the Ricky Williams debacle. They just recently recovered from that. It took 6 or 7 years. There is no player worth that not even jay Cutler, silly Bears. This draft is chalk full of talent no need to throw it all away for a position that’s the third least important position on the field behind FB and Punter(The kicker at least scores points). And if fewel can turn water into wine why spend money on wine when you can get much cheaper water. I would much rather stay put and capitalize on the good draft positioning because I hope we won’t be this low for a while. Again this isn’t the NBA no one player is saving any franchise I don’t care if he’s the second coming of Jerry Rice or Reggie White.
February 10th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
Because the Giants have been pouring out water in the DB since I can remember and I’m tired of it, and obviously the rest of the league has caught up, DeSean Jackson should haunt you like he does me, maybe then you’d understand.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
What is the value in points of Osi???
Cause we can sign Peppers and trade Osi on draft day along with a pick or 2. Personally I think Osi and a 2 and a 5 is worth the 6th pick. Can that be done. Or Osi our first and 5th.
February 14th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
i dont know what they have 2 do but they need 2 get it done that my man.
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