2010 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Eric Berry

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 medically

Summary: 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.

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2010 NFL Mock Draft: Matt’s | Walt’s

2010 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings

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