The Case for Drafting Eric Berry at #3 I understand why some Bucs fans want to trade up to get Suh or McCoy. I also understand why some Bucs fans would want to trade down and get more picks at lower prices. However, I’m going to make the case that we should stay right where we are and draft Eric Berry out of Tennessee. Let’s assume that Suh and McCoy go 1-2 and we’re on the board at pick #3. Trading down certainly is appeasing. It would make sense to give the third pick to a team trying to get ahead of Washington in order to pick a quarterback, whether it be Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford (depending on who has a better Scouting Combine and Pro Day). It would also make sense since safety isn’t the #1 need right now. Can’t we move down and get Dez Bryant at a cheap price and obtain another pick? My opinion is that we should stay at #3. The Scouting Combine could definitely affect this, but I’m going to use the Tony Dungy ideology here as he disclosed in Quiet Strength. Dungy believed that the player’s performance on the field is the biggest indicator of how they will pan out as a pro. I completely agree. We should look at how they read the quarterback and elude defenders on the field as opposed to how many times they can bench 225 pounds. There are no benches or cone drills set up on the field on Sunday afternoon. There are many workout warriors who flourished at the combine and flew up draft boards because they could run the 40 yard dash quickly in a t-shirt and track shoes, yet didn’t pan on the field necessarily. Chris Henry, Vernon Gholston, and Matt Jones are some that immediately come to mind. Someone like Matt Jones played quarterback at Arkansas, so what game film of him at Wide Receiver were the Jaguars watching. None! They looked at his combine numbers, thought he had potential given his size, and drafted him 21st overall. Jones was released a few years after, arrested for cocaine, and now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, who should change their uniforms to prison jumpsuits for all of the crimes committed by their players over the last several years. With that said, the combine shouldn’t play too large of a role in our selection at #3. Don’t get caught up with the workout warriors and the Vernon Gholston of the world. Unless Dez Bryant or Joe Haden runs a 4.20 40 yard dash or a prospect’s numbers are completely off of the charts, we should look at how they performed on the field in college. Berry has been a stud on the field for Tennessee, and has been said to have a presence and have skills that are tantamount to Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. Despite of what his numbers will be at the Scouting Combine, Berry is a ball-hawk, bone crushing safety that will be an instant improvement seeing as he would replace Sabby Piscitelli, or as I like to refer to him, DJ Sabby P. Of course we could reap the benefits of bringing in a DT. We need many upgrades to put it frankly. However, we need to take the best available player at #3 without giving too much consideration to our most glaring needs. Some say #3 is too high for a safety, but I believe that a good player is a good player. Period. If Berry is as good as he is made out to be, then why wouldn’t we take him and upgrade a secondary that got torched in many games last year. A great player is a great player is a great player. This idea of picking the best player available is the same philosophy as Scott Pioli, and that definitely worked out for the Patriots this past decade (this success had no effect on the UK Patriots’ performance in flag football). There will be many great talents to pick from at #3. Eric Berry is one of them. In fact, he is, in my opinion, the best talent at that point in the draft assuming Suh and McCoy go 1-2. So, don’t listen to the “Safety at #3 is too high” or “We don’t need a safety” garbage. We need a lot of upgrades, and Safety is one of them. A playmaker like Eric Berry is what the Bucs need, regardless of what position he plays and how much money we’re paying him. I can’t imagine offensive coordinators calling a deep pass play in confidence with Barber, Talib, Jackson, and Berry in the opposing secondary. Chris Bruno, February 2010