Eric Berry could barely speak when the Kansas City Chiefs selected him with the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.
Historical significance perhaps? Nope, just laryngitis.
“I’m going to be a Chief baby,” a hoarse Berry was overheard saying as he spoke on his cell phone with the Chiefs. “I’m very excited. I would lose my voice, but I don’t have a voice to lose.”
Berry’s pick was monumental on multiple fronts. First, he was just the sixth University of Tennessee player picked in the top five of the draft since 1940, and the first since the Baltimore Ravens selected tailback Jamal Lewis in 2000.
Moreover, Berry was only the fifth safety selected in the top five since 1980.
As high as Berry’s selection was, there was talk that it could have been even higher.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were considered a strong player for Berry, but they selected former Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy with pick No. 3.
Next, the Washington Redskins were rumored to have late interest with the fourth pick, but that must have been a typical draft smokescreen. They selected Oklahoma offensive tackle Trent Williams when no other team called their bluff.
Berry walked to the podium in New York and shared an embrace with former UT defensive tackle Dan Williams (who was later selected with the 26th pick by the Arizona Cardinals) before standing in front of the throng of fans and media assembled at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Even without a strong voice, it was obvious Berry was ready to begin his professional career.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for all of my life, man,” Berry said on the NFL Network. “Just to come here. Come to the draft. Play in the NFL. I love it. I’m loving it. I’m loving it.”
When asked what the Chiefs should expect, Berry said, “They should expect everything, expect a hard worker, a leader. Somebody that’s going to represent on and off the field. Somebody that wants to win championships. Let’s go to work baby. I’m ready.”
He better be. The Chiefs were 4-12 last season under first-year general manager Scott Pioli and coach Todd Haley. Kansas City was 31st overall in total defense and 22nd in pass defense.
“Eric has the characteristics we’re looking for,’’ Haley told The Kansas City Star. ‘’The captain of his college team. Extremely productive. Loves football. That’s clear when you’re around him for any period of time. Competitive. He’ll come in here and amp the competition up, and not just the secondary but all areas.”
Berry’s versatility was a strong selling point. He played cornerback in 2007, a roaming free safety in 2008 and then a run-stopping strong safety in 2009.
“He’s a physical player,” Haley said. “He looks for contact. I don’t think he’s afraid to make big plays. He’s versatile. He has the ability to cover, and in the division we’re in, we’ve got to cover tight ends and receivers and backs.
“That’s one of the big positives with him is that he does have some position flexibility, so to speak. He’s shown the ability to cover in man-to-man situations, and he’s a very good down-in-the-box hitter, and he’s been real good in the back end out in the open field. On top of that, he looks like he has a little knack for pressuring the quarterback.’’
There was some slight drama shortly after Berry was selected. The first interview came from former NFL great Deion Sanders, who Berry said refused to give him an autograph while in high school. That led to a recently publicized riff between the two.
“We cool,” Berry said. “You (recently) gave me my autograph. It took me four years, but I got it. You know you’re a legend. I appreciate everything. I appreciate you paving the way for us as DB’s. You put us on the map.”
Berry should still have an impact on the remainder of the draft even though he was the first UT player selected. The Vols still figure prominently into the weekend with a handful of highly thought of prospects.
“I think in the long run, he’s helped himself,” former UT quarterback Jonathan Crompton said on Thursday, “but he’s helped everybody on our team.”
On Lane: Berry was surely helped by a coaching staff that UT fans would rather forget. Former coach Lane Kiffin’s many ties to the NFL — most notably his father, defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin — gave NFL executives a trusted, worthy scout of the All-American.
“He just swears by the kid,” ESPN’s Chris Mortenson said of Monte Kiffin on Thursday morning on the News Sentinel’s radio show, The Sports Page.
“If you were going to identify three or four players in which you say ‘I will bet my mortgage that this guy is going to be a Pro Bowl player.’ Eric Berry would be one of them.
“I think the guy is a can’t miss. And there are a lot of others in this league that think the guy is a can’t-miss player.”
Including the Chiefs.
Dan Proctor draws Tennessee Football…
Oregon sends Lady Vols home from…
Cordarrelle Patterson drafted by the…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 109
Footvol2010 writes:
Going to have to start following the chiefs I guess.
BillyVol writes:
This is one player that deserves the best, and hope his career is the best. wtg Eric
voloffaith writes:
Deion chains sanders the interview meister....Congrats Eric Berry and family!! Go VOLS!!
voloffaith writes:
Cottam Te is there with Colquitt P also there. Just adding another Volunteer!!
77VolFS writes:
Congratulations Eric - you deserve to be a top 5 pick. You have made VOL Nation proud will both your football skills and how you have handled everything with class. Wish you success in KC.
GreerVol22 writes:
I'm impressed KNS with the update. I guess that Chattanooga paper called yall right away.
tnsportsman writes:
Great Job Eric, Congrats! WE ARE UT, you made us proud! Eric Berry ..... Eric Berry ..... Eric Berry .....!
GO VOLS!
osbymartin#581730 writes:
OMG according to the end of this report there are TWO Eric Berrys WATCH OUT NFL!!!
HallowedHill writes:
Congratulations Eric Berry! Well deserved.
osbymartin#581730 writes:
nevermind they edited it lol
RoadTrip writes:
E-R-I-C B-E-R-R-Y!
Just became a Chiefs fan. Combined with Colquitt and Cottam things are looking up in KC.
V_O_L_S_GO_VOLS_GO writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
You go Eric Berry! Tear em up in the NFL! Congrats!
The only thing I didn't like was the gang just had to mention the K's, yeah right, like they had anything to do with Eric's talent and ability!
allntl1#565211 writes:
I believe Dale Carter was a safety for the Chiefs.
Poor Tebow went 44th in the draft. Take notice future QBs, you will not develop at florida under Myers.
kctcloth writes:
WHOOO! As a lifelong Chiefs fan I am thrilled to have him here in Kansas City! :)
wildcatbasketball writes:
Why the slam on Cincy??? Did they make the playoffs last year. They are on the way back...Chiefs? Been terrible for years as well...
huntined#565710 writes:
This is GREAT for EB and family..Miami killed us with trading that pick as Dan Williams would have been number 12...
houvol#438636 writes:
Congrats Eric. All of Vols wish you nothing but the best.
Orangeyouavol writes:
well we are definitily proud of him, yawll will be to
allntl1#565211 writes:
I stand corrected, I read the prediction of where he would be drafted. Tebow went higher than the prognosticators thought, 25th.
RoadTrip writes:
Agree on Big Dog dropping - which is now Parcells' loss since the Cardinals stole him from under their nose! Congrats Big Dan!
SEC1 writes:
So much for Urban Meyer not producing NFL QB'S!!! 3 gators in the first round not bad but OU has produced the most first rounders.
Colliervol writes:
Congrats to Eric Berry and Dan Williams. Both ended up in good spots. Wish Big Dan could have lasted a few more picks and the Colts could have gotten him. (But they don't play a 3-4 so they may not have taken him.) I am surprised that Tebow went that high. I guess Denver is in desperate need of an "H" back.
Seriously, Tim is a great kid and the kind of guy that any father hopes his daughter would marry. But I will be stunned if he becomes an NFL QB. Maybe the best college QB ever to play. But NFL? Nope. My bet is that pick (over Jimmy Clausen) will get Josh McDaniel fired.
A great man once said, "There's a sucker born every minute." And obviously the Broncos bought the hype and are really winging it with this pick. It is one thing to show that "improved" throwing motion in a "pro day". It is quite another to do it against 270 lb pass rushers who run faster than college wide receivers. And he won't be running over Ray Lewis either in a goal line package. But it will be interesting to watch.
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
Chiefs new slogan.....
Come to Arrowhead, (POW!) get Berry upside your head.
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
This is a Berry post. Go talk religious stuff on a UF site.
WE DON'T CARE
SEC1 writes:
OK, but in the words of the 25th pick in the NFL DRAFT" GOD BLESS YOU"
Colliervol writes:
He still hasn't produced an NFL QB. That remains to be seen. Might be an NFL "H-Back" though. Have to wait and see.
jimr07 writes:
Name all the others that Florida has produced. I cannot think of any off hand. And, according to all the experts, Tebow is 2 to 3 year project. Having said all that, I am glad he was picked that high. Fine young man.
jimr07 writes:
what a stupid comment he made. said so much for Urban Meyer not producing NFL quarterbacks. then says 3 florida players in the first round. the other two were NOT quarterbacks. i am still trying to remember all the florida quaterbacks now playing in the NFL.
osbymartin#581730 writes:
In all fairness, getting drafted doesn't mean you have produced an NFL QB. QBs drafted that ended up being busts: Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, Andre Ware(heisman winner), Heath Shuler, Rex Grossman. ALL first rounders! So, just being drafted doesn't mean you are an NFL quality QB.
murrayvol writes:
The Broncos are looking at him as a team chaplain.
worldwideturd writes:
That is the most senseless post i have read to date. The more you post, the more you taint Fulmer's legacy...whatever history determines that is.
P.S. You forgot to capitalize the "G"
osbymartin#581730 writes:
Rex Grossman is holding a clipboard in Washington.
murrayvol writes:
I can help you with that jimr....1....Grossman...and he's not playing all that well.
Orangeblood13 writes:
as a Vol fan living in MO
can't wait to go see Berry in Arrowhead
SmokeyDayAfternoon writes:
I can't wait to see Eric Berry in a chiefs jersey! But, I just had to comment on this. Please, never compare Tim Tebow to Jesus Christ, ever again. BTW, I'm happy for Tebow and think he is a great guy, too. But it is insane the kind of comments people are making about him. As far as I'm concerned, no Christian is any better than another, IMO.
ric1958 writes:
CONGRATS, ERIC and DAN WILLIAMS!!! Hooker, can you even write an article without Kiffin`s name in it ?????
xvillefan writes:
This segment should be a celebration of Eric’s good fortune and Tebow’s progress should not enter into it. To beat their chests and try to raise their own VOL morale some members of this board bleed PRO football into this site and hold up Peyton as the proof the VOLS produce QBs. Despite Tebow success or failure in Denver, it will not change the scores of the 2006,2007, 2008 and 2009 UT/UF football games. You have to give the devil his due. He was a winner.
Peyton is one of the premier NFL quarterbacks of all time but multiple NFL MVP awards will have no bearing on the 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 games. NCAA and NFL football are involved with the same sport but they are very different games.
skm writes:
The "Halle Berry" song just became the "Eric Berry" song in Kansas City. This guy will be special in the NFL - even better than Troy Polamlu.
V_O_L_S_GO_VOLS_GO writes:
Glad to see Berry's going to a team that needs him and can really USE him for what he can do. Go VOLS!
JMP_Vols writes:
Tebow was selected in the first round for reasons Meyer can't take credit for. Obviously, Tim is a high character guy, a leader, already has an NFL body. All of those things factored in heavily to Tim's first round selection and none of those things are to Meyer's credit.
What Urban could control, like learning to take snaps from center, 3-5-7 step drops, teaching him a sound throwing motion, Tebow had to learn all that once his Florida days were done. I guess four years on campus wasn't long enough to fit fundamentals in.
So, I'd say Tebow was blessed to be a first round pick in spite of Meyer, hardly because of him.
Alex Smith is one more sub-par year away from career back-up status and Brantley needs to start a meaningful game before annointing him the #1 pick of the 2011 draft.
Sorry, criticism still lives.
allntl1#565211 writes:
OK hows this: Tebow is a two to three year project by all experts account if he can be changed. He must be taught how to play the QB position. Apparently he wasn't taught it in college. Alex Smith? I had to think about that one because he is pretty much non existent as an NFL QB. I was wrong about Notre Dame because I underestimated Meyer's mental state of mind, do I want to be a full time coach or a part time coach. I quite, no I'm staying. My wife is a fitness trainer and she can get me healthy. I think Meyer is excellent at taking QBs and making them RBs.
bkgunter writes:
Just riffing, but I think it was a "rift" between Deon and EB.
JMP_Vols writes:
Not denial. Despite what you think I hope he succeeds.
But there is absolutely no defense for why he spent four years at a school and never learned to take a snap from center, make a simple drop, and release the ball in a timely manner. Who's fault is that if it isn't the coaches?
No need to quote all Tebow's accolades - we know them. Unfortunately, you don't get points in the NFL for every school/NCAA record you broke. Graham Harrell would be a Pro-Bowler if that were the case.
Urban, through Tebow, won a bunch of games and a couple championships over the last four years. That does not mean Tebow's prepared for the NFL though.
Again, hope it works out for Tim because he deserves it, but of all McDaniel's puzzling moves the last year this is the worst yet.
RoyaltyVol writes:
Congrats Eric! Your a great fit for the Chiefs. Seems like the Chiefs had another great DB from UT years ago, Dale Carter. Good luck!
Carlitovol writes:
Everybody needs to check this out >> hilarious - chiefs fan reacting to Berry being selected...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbvgmH...
BigOrangeFreak writes:
Get a grip dude. Tebow is indeed a great kid, but the comparisons to Jesus need to stop. Also, your reference to Pac Man Jones makes zero sense.
osbymartin#581730 writes:
So you don't think that with Tebow's athleticism that, according to you, Meyer developed in him. Tebow couldn't have done all of that with another team under another coach? Like say, NS at Bama. And sorry to burst your bubble but he wasn't a four-time SEC or National champion. Florida's system under Spurrier and Meyer has not yet produced a QB in the NFL that has been relevant for more than a season. And so you don't think that I am a hater. Name ONE UF QB that has done anything in the NFL outside of Grossman's first season.....
osbymartin#581730 writes:
that was priceless lol!
DANA5ASH writes:
ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? Hate to burst your bubble but Tebow will be another Ryan Leaf...he will never make it in the NFL. And besides that get your butt on Tebow's fan site...we are talking about a REAL football player at this site!
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