Be Careful Drafting Eric Berry At No. 3
January 27th, 2010
Like most learned football people, Steve Campbell, who in the past has written articles on JoeBucsFan.com about offensive line play, loves Tennessee safety Eric Berry.
But Campbell, a former offensive lineman for a BCS conference team, has argued with fellow JoeBucsFan.com commenters that for as highly talented as Berry is, an NFL team should never draft a safety at No. 3, which is where the Bucs are currently positioned to draft in the first round come April.
Well, to give one an idea of how intelligent of a football analyst Campbell is — and why Joe asked him to periodically write columns for Joe — Mike Mayock has reinforced everything Campbell has written about drafting Berry.
(Only women who don’t have the NFL Network — and if you are a man you have the NFL Network — put more stock into what helmethair Mel Kiper or wannabe Todd McShay say than Mayock. That’s like settling for Suzy Kolber when one can have Erin Andrews or the gorgeous Jenny Dell. Mayock, the NFL Network’s draft analyst, is in a world by himself when it comes to breaking down the NFL draft. Mayock has no peers.)
Speaking with good guy Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times, Mayock hinted it’s a gamble for the Bucs to draft Berry at No. 3, despite the fact Berry is a superior talent.
Under this scenario, Tennessee safety Eric Berry might be the top remaining player on the Bucs’ draft board. No. 3 seems rather high for a safety because the position is not considered a priority in the draft, but if the Ed Reed comparisons are accurate, then perhaps the Bucs can live with him.
“You better be less concerned about whether the guy fits a certain profile as far as position and all that,” Mayock said. “Safeties typically aren’t considered positions of value. Now, if you get a playmaker at safety. …
“Safeties typically aren’t top-10 picks. They’re rare. The question is, is Berry rare? He probably is.”
Notice the word “probably?”
Look, Joe loves Berry and he very well may be a difference maker. But Mayock is clear in throwing out a caution flag in drafting Berry at No. 3. Joe will always defer to Mayock.
Would it be better for the Bucs to trade down a couple of slots and pick up Berry later? Would Berry still be available?
And yes, Joe is aware that one cannot trade down if a trading partner cannot be found.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:19 am
for me this is easy, the priority should be gerald mccoy (not Suh) and if Mccoy is not available anymore, we should take Eric berry or Joe Haden. ur toughts gentelemen!!
January 27th, 2010 at 11:29 am
What the consensus on Dez Bryant? I’ve read on some blogs that he is considered a better prospect than Crabtree was a year ago. Although #3 still seems way too high for a WR. Unless he is a Calvin Johnson “Lock of the Century….OF THE WEEK” Kind of player.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:29 am
I say do what you have to do to get Suh or Mckoy.
If you can’t then no way you take this guy at #3. He’s going to want ridiculous money for being a top 5 pick and history has shown you can get very good safties in the lower first and later rounds.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:33 am
D-Money has a valid point, but my thoughts is than we need defense, so i guess we can trade down to get haden, mcclain, price or mays, thats another interestin way
January 27th, 2010 at 11:41 am
Aldo-it’s an interesting quandry…
Let’s say Suh/McCoy go, 1/2
That leaves us with…
Berry-My thoughts on him have been documented…smallish safety who is not a great tackler. Nice big play ability. But that’s a lot of money to tie into a non-value position. Not to mention Tanard is going to need to get paid in a year, then you’re looking at an absurd amount of money tied into a postion that is low down the rung on importance in our system.
Haden-Nice player, but you have to consider scheme when you draft somebody. Haden does not fit with what we are trying to do on defense. He’d fit on a team that likes to go man a lot(eagles???)
Everyone else at this point that we could use is probably a reach….
Okung-Nice player, but a reach at #3
Dez Bryant-God knows we need WR, especially one with big play ability, but it’s still a reach. There will be tons of good WR’s available at the top of round 2 who could help us right away…Golden Tate, Brandon LaFell, Mardy Gillyard???
One thing we got going for us is the team behind us at #4, Washington, will take a QB. There are an abundance of teams drafting after that who may want to jump up in front of Washington in our spot to take a QB. The Seahwaks, Browns, & Bills are all candidates to move up and give us another 2nd round pick .
It would be NICE to have 3 2nd round picks and still have a top 10 pick.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:41 am
I like to see the bucs move and pick up more picks and I like mcclaine or dunlap and I would love to see suh be a buc but I can settle with mcclain or dunlap or the D-tackle from tennessee williwms but the bucs need more picks!
January 27th, 2010 at 11:47 am
Joe,
Thats why we need to draft Wideout in the first round. Josh Freeman needs a playmaker who can catch the damn ball. A WR can play this year, any DT, DE drafted will be back up for a few years.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:50 am
@ JoeBucsSteveCampbell:
interesting ur points of view but…i guess we need right now to get a solid D, now the story saids that not always the betted DLineman are the 1 round Availables, so, if we can get another Stud in D that can make a nice couple in future with Roy Miller im glad to take Dez Bryant over Russel Okung.
the other thing is, the 2011 draft not looks very deep like this year, can we trade that pick for another first rounder that could value it, just a tought!!
January 27th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
If McCoy and Suh are gone and I say if because there is no guarantee they go one and two. Escpecially since the rams need a qb bad but there are some qb’s available in this draft (see last years debate on the buc’s picking a quarterback). Third is to high for a saftey. I think they should either trade down get more picks (the owenership has said they are going young, more picks the younger you get) or draft Price from UCLA. He looks to go around seven or eight to the Raiders and he his shooting up the draft boards. It may be a slight reach but it is a reach in the direction we need to go. I think drafting Okung Third (which might happen by the way) would be a need but less sexy and it would not address what we really need. Even Ed Reed, who I thought coming out of college would be a great one, went late first round. You can find this position later. I can not wait to see what happens.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
I like McClain or dunlap but not at 3 I like to see them trade the pick and pick up more picks cuz they need more 2 and 3 and 4 round picks. At reciever I like dez bryant and golden tate and jordan shipley .
January 27th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
You take the best player available , PERIOD.
If you place priority on the value of each position, rather than picking the best football player , you end up with busts.
If Berry is the best player on the board , SELECT HIM.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
We want suh trade up and go get him. Period! We need this guy for our D. It will be like having old 99 (sapp) again. Run stopper and pressure up the middle. I am so sick and tired of watchin teams gut us up the middle. We dont get him go fo Mccoy. This is the area we need to improve the most. We can get a saftey later in 2nd round. Tjack And Plipp arent that bad as long as he can stay healthy anyways.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
First off, I think its pretty much a lock that Suh and McCoy go 1 and 2. At three, I think we need to seriously look at drafting Dez Bryant. Through the first few games before his suspension he was tearing up D-1 ball again. There is still tons of time until the draft. What if Bryant comes into the combine in great shape, runs a 4.35 with a 40′ vertical and catches everything in sight? In my opinion the guy is no longer a reach.
Dez has said he plans to do everything at the combine, so we will get a chance to see if he still is the playmaker we think he can be.
The bottom line is that there is a changing of the guard in Tampa folks. This is no longer is a team that prides itself on defence first. Raheem is going to look to surrond Freeman with weapons. Lets be honest, in a cover-2 scheme we can find defenders later in the draft to suit the scheme.
Take Dez first. pick up one of the quality DT’s in the second round. People need to realize this may be the best DT class ever. Suh, McCoy, Odrick, Dan Williams, Brian Price, Alalu. The list goes on. Pick up a quality DT in round 2. And our 2nd pick in the 2nd round, you go BPA. Weapon for Freeman, Athletic big body for the DLine and a quality player.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
I agree we need suh we also need a playmaker at reciever like dez bryant and also we need more picks in 2nd and 3rd and 4th and 5th rounds so we can get better as a whole!
January 27th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
I have to agree Danny cap. I like Dez Bryant myself but you would have to agree the buc’s are not in an ideal spot. DT’s all around but the two they want are going to be chosen by the two teams ahead of them. Those are the brakes I suppose but you are correct we could get a solid DT later. Frankly, I do not care who we get as long as we get a play maker. Players with the “appeal” of Sapp, Brooks, Lynch. McClain, Bryant, Berry, Suh, or McCoy, I don’t care just give us something to get amped about. Someone who can play football well. By the way Commish, I like McClain. As a matter of fact, I think he is the next best player after the two DT’s but the buc’s won’t pick him.
January 27th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
I agree I like McClain and I like dunlap and spikes and bryant ut of these four I wouldn’t be madd to see the bucs get and also to I would love to see them get ridd of clayton and also pick up somemore picks cuz I don’t see us bein players in free agency so y not add more picks for the draft!!
January 27th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Heck if Berry is not a great tackler, then I don’t want him at #3. I got tired of Sabby trying out for a rodeo trying to get people down. Either trade up for Suh or trade down. It is as simple as that. I personally want the Bucs to trade up. We need a disrupter on the DL. We got 3 playmakers in the back 7. We need 1 in the front 4 desperately.
January 27th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
i wanna ask to everyone….would you trade ur 1st round pick odf the 2011 draft and give another pick (i dont know which one) for another first round pick in this draft??
January 27th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Will St Louis draft a QB at 1? Probably not, but it’s possible. The Bucs could get Washington to trade up 1 spot for a pick, if they fear one of the other teams may jump them for the best QB, especially if the DT’s go 1,2. The Bucs lose nothing by dropping to 4 if Washington picks a QB. Seattle wouldn’t have as much incentive to trade up then for a QB because the Bucs and KC both don’t need QB’s, but Jacksonville at #10 could use a QB. Would they trade up to 4 with the Bucs, to get a QB too. The Bucs could possibly trade back to #10 and pick up another 2’nd round pick, and still draft Price from UCLA or Berry if still there. Taylor Mays??? Trading back once can really help the Bucs and trading back twice may be even better yet. it would be a mistake to give up a pick and trade up to draft Suh.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:30 pm
As to Berry, what I have said all along is, whether the Bucs draft him or not should mainly depend on what kind of rec they get from Monte Kiffin. #3 isn’t too high if this guy is another Ronnie Lott.Is he?? I am not scout enough to know.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
IF WE AREN’T ABLE TO GRAB SUH OR MCCOY, WOULDN’T THE BEST OPTION BE TO TRADE DOWN TO AROUND THE 9-14 RANGE AND PICK UP AN ADDITIONAL PICK??? I KNOW MOCK DRAFT ARE LIKE WEATHER REPORTS, YOU CAN’T REALLY TRUST THEM BUT MOST OF THEM HAVING BERRY DROP TO AROUND 10 OR SEE IF HE SLIPS PAST US AT 3. SO I ASK WOULD IT BE WORTH THE RISK TO TRADE DOWN TO AROUND THE 9-14 RANGE PICK UP AN EXTRA PICK AND STILL HAVE THE POSSIBILITY TO GRAB BERRY OR DEZ BRYANT OR EVEN HAYDEN???
January 27th, 2010 at 11:37 pm
ALDO THATS NOT A BAD THOUGHT… SPECIALLY SINCE REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT WE ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE NEXT SEASON AND MAYBE WE END UP WITH A MIDDLE ROUND PICK. IT WOULD BE A RISK BUT TO GET 2 TOP NOTCH PLAYERS IN THE FIRST ROUND IN THIS DRAFT AND STILL WITH THE 2 PICKS IN THE SECOND ROUND THAT COULD REALLY PROPEL THIS TEAM A LITTLE QUICKER THAN EXPECTED!!!
January 28th, 2010 at 12:08 am
Mike J:
Ronnie Lott was drafted as a cornerback and played cornerback his first few years out of college.
January 28th, 2010 at 2:39 am
For reference sake, Lott went #8 overall. He didn’t start playing S fulltime until his 6th season.
I was curious to see how many S had been drafted in the top 10 over the last 30 years (since ’79). Only 12 have been drafted that high (Laron Landry, Michael Huff, Donte Whitner, Sean Taylor, Roy Williams, Eric Turner, Stanley Richard, Mark A. Carrier, Bennie Blades, Rickey Dixon, Terry Kinard, Kenny Easley) Not a high total.
Landry, Huff and Whitner haven’t exactly set the world on fire. Taylor was turning into a very good S and possibly a great one. Williams had a few good years and then teams started to pick apart his pass coverage skills. Turner, Richard and Carrier had decent careers. Carrier and Turner both went to more than 1 Pro Bowl. Blades and Kinard also had decent careers, but nothing coming close to their draft status. Dixon is the 1 outright bust in the group. Easley was a great great great player. If he didn’t get hurt, he would have gone to the Hall of Fame in his first year. I was actually sad when he got hurt and I wasn’t even a Seahawks fan.
So you have a bunch of decent players, 1 great player, 1 very good player who more than likely had been great if he didn’t get killed and 1 bust. We would need Berry to be great for it to be worth spending that high draft pick on him. I just can’t see spending a #3 overall on a S.
BTW-Ed Reed went #24 and Troy P. went #16.
January 28th, 2010 at 6:24 am
Well, Joe, Tanard was a corner in college also IIRC.