Posts Tagged ‘Eric Berry’

As with any other sporting event, we are naturally interested in crowning winners and losers for the NFL Combine. These are top level athletes known for their competitive fire and desire to win. There is no doubt that the prospects on the field this week were competing against each other in some form or fashion. For that reason, I think it is interesting to toss my two bits into the arena of opinion and name some winners and losers for this year’s Combine.

Combine Winners

Ndamukong Suh (NFL.com)

Bruce Campbell

Just a dominant overall performance by Campbell.  He looked fantastic in every drill on Saturday.  Did his workout catch the eye of Al Davis and the offensive tackle-hungry Oakland Raiders?

Ndamukong Suh

Talk about nimble…. Suh was like a dancing bear. It was absolutely evident that he was prepared to compete at the Combine.  32 reps on the bench could be a key factor in separating himself from Gerald McCoy who only had 23 reps.

Taylor Mays

NFL scouts in attendance said that Mays’ actual clocked time in the 40 was closer to the 4.24 than his official time of 4.43.  He was nearly as fast as advertised.

Jerry Hughes

Strength still a concern for Hughes, but there will be no questions about his athleticism and ability to transition to 3-4 OLB at the next level after putting on a display in agility during drills.

Eric Berry

Came in bigger and stronger than expected. His drills were very clean, and he ran a fast 4.47  in the 40, coupled with an amazing 43 inch vertical.

Trent Williams

Superb speed (4.88 sec) and fantastic footwork firmly plants Williams within the top 10 of the Draft.  The doubts concerning his height were squashed, too.  He is a solid 6’4” plus change.

Sam Bradford

Bradford has to be on this list, even though he didn’t work out.  He checked out medically, which means he is again a serious contender for the #1 overall pick.

Jahvid Best

Best ran the fastest 40 time of all the running backs (4.35 sec).  That is always a momentum shifter.

Jacoby Ford

Fastest man at the combine (4.28 sec) will catch the eye of evaluators.  Speed causes teams to overlook a multitude of flaws.

Dorin Dickerson

The Pittsburgh prospect was better than Jared Cook last year. Dickerson was the top tight end performer in the 40-yard dash (4.40 sec), broad jump (10’10”) and vertical leap (43 inch). He also posted great marks in the bench press ( 24 reps), 3-cone drill, and 20-yard shuttle.  Teams will be very intrigued by his athleticism.

Devin McCourty

Of all the defensive backs, McCourty looked the smoothest in drills. His strong suit is fluidity in his transition and breaks on the ball.  He made himself some money on Tuesday.

Ryan Matthews

An very good overall, especially for a big running back (6’0,” 218 lbs.) workout might have been enough to push Matthews into the 1st round.  He ran a fast 4.45 in the 40, and was a top performer in the vertical leap, 20-yard shuttle, and bench press.

Combine Losers

Joe Haden (NFL.com)

Joe Haden

His slow 40 time (somewhere around 4.58-4.62) shocked me.  His tape is fantastic, but he has to answer the speed questions to maintain top corner status.

Rolando McClain

Was the pulled hamstring a ploy?  Probably not, but I wanted to see McClain answer questions I have about his speed.

Carlos Dunlap

This was supposed to be his time to shine. But his workout was very average. He looked clumsy when moving laterally, and his straight line speed wasn’t near what was expected.

Dez Bryant

I want to know why he didn’t work out.

Anthony Davis

Concerns about his work ethic were confirmed by his lack of preparation.  Apparently, he looked soft in the middle, and his 23 bench press reps were not impressive for a man of his size.

Donovan Warren

An unofficial 4.58 sec in the 40 isn’t great for a cornerback. Warren wasn’t a top performer in any category.

Brandon Spikes

Another one of those guys who didn’t run for one reason or another.  This raises a red flag regarding his timed speed.  We know he is a great football player, but we wanted to see how good an athlete he is.

Dan LeFevour

No good reason given for not throwing.  Thes4e quarterbacks don’t seem to understand that scouts only want to see their footwork and delivery. Accuracy really doesn’t matter at the combine.

Rich Eisen

Good ol’ Rich…. I thought maybe this would be the year he broke 6.0 in the 40. Guess we will have to wait until next year. Hopefull, he will wear better exercise clothes than a suit next time.

Eric Berry

• Height: 5-11
  
• Weight: 203
  
• S
• Tennessee

NFL.com

Attribute	Rating
Speed/Acceleration
Ball Skills
Pass Coverage
Run Defense
Agility
Football I.Q
Tackling
Durability

Scouting Report

Now that he has declared for the draft, Eric Berry will battle Ndamukong Suh for title of top prospect of the 2010 NFL Draft.  A gifted athlete and leader, Berry is exactly the kind of impact player that all NFL franchises covet. The Thorpe award winner is # 2 in the NCAA for career interception yards after only playing 3 years of college ball. Although safeties don’t traditionally get picked in the top 5, there is now a premium placed on game-changing safeties, which could drive Berry’s stock up enough to become only the 5th safety to be chosen in the top 5 since 1967.

Speed/Acceleration: Elite speed  for a safety, and can run with virtually any receiver. Excellent closing burst to make a play on the football. Should run in the 4.4 range at the combine.

Ball Skills: Easily one of Berry’s strongest skills. Excellent hands for the interception, and can catch the ball like a receiver. Had 12 interceptions through 2008. Gets hands under the ball when thrown low, but will want to demonstrate a consistent ability to high point the ball. Very good jumping ability, and isn’t afraid to leap horizontally to make play on the ball. Knack for being around the football.  Superior run-after-catch ability. Very dangerous with the ball in his hands. Runs like a tailback after the catch, switching hands with the football to keep it secure.

Pass Coverage: Initially started out playing cornerback. Often asked to play man coverage at the line of scrimmage, where he is able to use his aggressiveness to dominate receivers. Very fluid in his backpedal and mirrors his man well.   Has very good recovery speed to make a play on the ball.  Shows an aptitude for sticking his foot in the ground and driving hard on the ball.  Always keeps one eye on the quarterback, looking for the interception.

Run Defense: Disciplined and is reliable in filling his gap.  Often uses his violent hitting ability to intimidate ball carriers, but this causes him to sometimes take somewhat poor angles to the football in attempting to deliver the knock out. Generally quick to diagnose run plays. Good at sealing the edge in close yardage situations. Very rangy defender who utilizes his great closing speed to reach the edge on outside runs. When ball carrier is running in the box, Berry often waits for the action to come to him. Seldom is asked to engage and shed blockers when playing close to the line. But this is not highly unusual for safety, especially one who frequently is asked to play center field.

Agility: Moves well laterally, and can change direction comfortably. Good but not elite ability to flip hips in coverage.

Football I.Q: Team leader capable of being the quarterback of the defense for any NFL team. Able to diagnose plays quickly. Excellent character and smart kid who works very hard.

Tackling: Big hitter who drives through ball carrier and can deliver jarring hits.  Sideline to sideline kind of tackler who flies all over the field to make plays. Displays proper tackling technique and keeps eyes on his target. Usually displays proper pad level when tackling.  Unintimidated by much larger foes.  Needs to work on open field tackling, sometimes getting overeager for the big hit.

Durability: Both  mentally and physically tough.  Plays through injury.  Only reported injury to date is to his shoulder last season, which didn’t force him tomiss any playing time.

(Video thanks to psheezybaby)

1. St. Louis Rams

Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

The days of Marc Bulger are numbered, and the franchise needs to add young talent at quarterback if they are serious about winning any time soon. And considering how the Rams have already used top 5 picks on DE and OT, the only justifiable position to take this early is a quarterback.

It is debatable who the best quarterback is, but St. Louis runs a version of the West Coast offense. For this reason, I would give a slight edge to Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford over Washington’s Jake Locker. Bradford is blessed with superior leadership qualities, and supreme accuracy, two things that NFL teams covet out of their signal caller. Additionally, his experience operating out of the shotgun should not hurt him too much, since the Rams often utilize this formation themselves.

2. Cleveland Browns

Jake Locker, QB, Washington

It has been widely publicized that Eric Mangini is not keen on quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. I don’t blame him one bit. The passer ratings of the two QB’s are 36.2 and 70.4 respectively. Unfortunately, both of these players have contracts that may prevent Cleveland from upgrading the position.

However, I do believe that Mangini will find a way to get an able-bodied QB to Cleveland in the form of Washington’s rocket armed Jake Locker. The Huskies signal caller is gifted with all the physical tools necessary to be a great NFL quarterback.

3. Detroit Lions

Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

Detroit has many needs, including a glaring hole at LT. But if I learned anything last year about how the Lions’ front office drafts, it is this: they draft purely on grade and not based on need. If they have the chance to add perhaps the best player in this class, then it’s a done deal. They sorely need help on the interior of the defense, and there is no better way of doing this than acquiring a dominant DT like Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh.

After seeing the Vikings’ Kevin Williams shred the Lions’ offensive line by blowing up plays in the backfield, it seems that the Lions will be salivating at the ability to obtain such a similar talent in Suh.  His unique blend of athleticism, strength, and technique will make him a fearsome force- exactly the type of  player that Detroit has lacked for so long.

Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Depending on how Suh grades out, and whether he is still on the board when the Lions make their selection, Detroit’s contingency plan may be to select the other can’t miss defender available: Tennessee safety Eric Berry. His elite skill set could be too much for GM Martin Mayhew to overlook, especially considering how the safety spot beside rookie Louis Delmas has been a revolving door in recent years. Players like Marquand Manuel and Kalvin Pearson aren’t cutting the mustard. So, a ball hawk roaming the the weak Detroit secondary would be exactly what the doctor ordered.

4. Tampa Bay Bucs

Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Since Tampa doesn’t need a LT or QB right now, they are in position to take the best player available. Sabby Piscitelli isn’t scaring opponents, and Jermaine Phillips is a free agent after this season. If the Bucs couple a promising young safety with the talent already present at cornerback, they could have a frightening  secondary.

Eric Berry is a game breaking safety prospect that would aid the Bucs in both pass coverage and run support. Tampa hasn’t had an impact player at safety since John Lynch departed for Denver.

Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma

Tampa would undoubtedly love to add Ndamukong Suh to help fix  the league’s worst run defense. But Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy is one heck of a consolation prize if they decide to address the area of greatest need. The interior of the defensive line has been unable to get  pressure, and they have been unable to hold their assigned gaps effectively. A gap penetrating tackle like McCoy is what Tampa had in Warren Sapp during their Super Bowl run.

5. Oakland Raiders

Taylor Mays, S, Southern Cal

Raiders’ owner Al Davis is a sucker for speed and athleticism. The failure of former 1st rounder Michael Huff can only bolster his interest in the super-freak known as Taylor Mays. His amazing athleticism for a 6’3, 235 lb safety is remarkable. And if he times as expected in the 40 yard dash at the Combine, then he becomes the obvious candidate here.

Grabbing Mays this early is not advisable, but we are talking about the owner who selected a punter in the 1st round way back when. Mays isn’t known for his coverage or ball skills, but he certainly can lay the wood and possesses the elite straight line speed that Davis covets.

Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma St.

Although Mays is perhaps the player Davis “will” choose, the player he “should” choose is someone else entirely. Despite using three top 10 picks on offensive skill players in the last three years, Oakland is ranked last in the league in 1st downs and total yards per game. I am assuming that the Raiders will give JaMarcus Russell one last year to prove himself before letting him go. And the trend thus far has been to add weapons to aid his development. How about selecting an elite LT to protect the quarterback and give him time to throw the ball?

Russell Okung is a tremendous athlete with excellent length and footwork. He is a bit raw but the tools to be good are all there.

Picks 6-10 coming soon!