[NFL.com] Tennessee safety Eric Berry, considered the top defensive back in next month’s NFL draft, has scheduled formal visits with the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a source with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday.
A source told NFL.com’s Frank Tadych that Berry also will visit with the Cleveland Browns on April 7. According to Tadych’s source, Berry visited with the Chiefs on Tuesday, then is scheduled to see the Redskins (Wednesday), Eagles (April 6) and Bucs (April 11).
The Eagles are the only team in that group without a top-five pick.
Man I would love to have Eric Berry, but I still think we got to take an O-Lineman. We got Lilja and Wieggman back, and Albert and Waters, but I think we really need to solidify that line even more. Wieggman and Waters are getting pretty old. But! I will be freakin elated if we take Berry with the 5th pick. p.s. first to post.
Comment by Chief Tom — March 30, 2010 @ 10:49 pm
Players like Eric Berry (who will most likely be available for us) come around once in a blue moon. Eric Berry has the potential to be an NFL superstar and the Chiefs need someone like that. Empirically, great safeties can change defenses (Ed Reed, Sean Taylor, Troy Polamalu, Bob Sanders). If Berry is developed right, the defense may follow suit. Great safeties are a rare commodity whereas a good OL can be picked up in later rounds.
We’re on track with the offensive line. The defense still seems shaky. Berry can fill a hole we desperately need.
Comment by InternationalArrowhead — March 31, 2010 @ 4:37 am
if he’s around at no. 5 take him!
Comment by doug w — March 31, 2010 @ 7:35 am
The more I think about it the more it makes sense. We better take Eric Berry or we are going to be kicking ourselves in the ass for many years to come. We might not even have the chance to grab him but if we can then we should. We now need a superstar Safety rather than the best lineman this draft has to offer us at our #5 pick. If Berry is picked 1,2,3,or 4… then go with one of the big guys on the line that will then complete a side to that somewhat. Please KC, make this #5 pick count. The future of KC is in the balance. What will we do? Only time will tell…
Comment by Krypta Knight — March 31, 2010 @ 3:18 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r8q8aYIyFc
Comment by JJ — March 31, 2010 @ 4:01 pm
It has to be Berry!!!! He is electric and our poor defense needs some crazy ballhawk in our secondary making plays happen for them.
Comment by STEVE — March 31, 2010 @ 8:55 pm
Our O-line is coming along, last yr. J. Charles rushed for over 1000 yds w/ a shaky line and w/ the additions this offseason, it’s an improvment from last yr. Is the O-lin the best, NO, but its it very close to GOOD ENOUGH. To make it good enough, We can find somethin in the 2nd round w/ either pick. We need to make this #5 pick w/ E. Berry, our secondary really gets burned and we really need a guy like this. This guy shows he has speed, ball skill, and great instinct…..In this draft we can achieve alot!!!! Take Berry @ 5, O-line in 2nd rd, and maybe even a top 5 reciever in rd 2 as well…..w/ a lil momentum and we have a playoff team!
Go CHIEFS!
Comment by Jose — April 1, 2010 @ 8:29 am
Well said guys. A part of me wanted Berry the whole time, I just want that damn O-Line in order. It’s just been so frustrating having an O-Line that lets the D come through and murder our QB after having the ball in his hand for only 1 second.
Comment by Chief Tom — April 2, 2010 @ 1:14 am
I like Berry and I like Okung. Either one is fine with me. I think getting Berry at 5 would be really great value considering some have him number 1 on their board. Okung would make our line good, unless someone gets injured. Suh might even fall to us, in which case I would take him and trade Dorsey for a another first rounder and a third.
What if we took Clausen and traded Cassell to Denver. LOL, just a thought. I think Wies would like that.
Comment by Jeff in VA — April 2, 2010 @ 6:00 pm
I like Berry, but think Mays may not be far behind as far as play making abilities is concern, besides I’m a huge fan of solidifying the big nasties up front. I say take Okung with the first pick and hope Mays or Bryant if they are still there at our next pick. This might be a stretch but McCoy may still be available at our third pick if this would play out that way I would be totally excited about the 2010 season. In my opinion the best move has already been done by hiring Charlie and Romeo. We were starting to turn the corner last year even when we where blown out of games I felt that it was a case where we beat ourselves more than the other team out playing us with the exception of a game or two. The addition of those players and our new coaching staff would give me plenty reasons to feel a bit gitty!!
Comment by Edmund Faagai — April 3, 2010 @ 12:45 pm
A 1st and a 3rd for Dorsey? Not happening! at best we would get a 2nd rounder for Dorsey. I am happy with Okung or Berry. I thought our safeties were good with Page and Pollard. Until we aimlessly dropped Pollard for no good reason. I do not want to draft Brian Boluga. He is not the answer. He had some trouble with college defensive ends and would have a rough time at Left Tackle. Okung or Berry is what we should go for. No trading down either. we have plenty of picks. We need a top 5 caliber player that pans out. Our 2 LSU guys Dorsey and Jackson are not exactly taking the league by storm. So it would be nice if three is a charm and this year our #5 overall pick pans out. Berry seems to be fire proof. I think that he is our lowest risk pick in the 5 spot.
Comment by Brad — April 5, 2010 @ 1:15 pm
They better draft Berry… it would be plain stupid not to. But it wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t cuz that’s what the Chiefs do, stupid things. And I don’t see why people in here are saying playoffs!! Do you remember how bad we were last year?? We might get better but theres no way you can turn a terrible, young team around in one year. I hope they do make the playoffs but really how many people actually think it will happen? I doubt they go .500 but I sure do hope I’m wrong. Don’t get me wrong I love the Chiefs but lets be reasonable guys.
Comment by PO'd Chiefs fan — April 6, 2010 @ 9:17 am
If we play like we did in that last game against Denver. Than we have a nice looking team. I guess John McGraw in looking like he will get a shot at strong safety. Mike Brown has got to go. He was just to slow and was responsible for many of the big plays that we let up. meanwhile B.Pollard was a shinning star for Houston. we got nothing for him. I don’t get what happened with our Safeties I used to think that Pollard and Page were a solid point. Now things have changed and I am not sure if Page is still in good shape or a starting caliber safety. I think we should just get Berry. Or the Linebacker McClain. Our D concerns me more than our Offense right now.
Comment by Brad — April 6, 2010 @ 3:26 pm
Not to mention we have already done a lot for the Offense in the offseason. Signing Lilia the Guard from Indi spelling? And Thomas Jones and Weigmann. Time to grab some Defensive help. We need to up the QB pressure. Our D Ends need to get some heat on the QB or we need to draft a pass rushing specialist. I am not as angry about the Jarred Allen trade anymore considering we got Jamal Charles with Minnesota’s 3rd round position.
Comment by Brad — April 6, 2010 @ 3:31 pm
Well I hope they take Berry if he is there and the first pick in Round 2 to be on the O line. Got a feeling they will pass and go the OT from Iowa. I thought Tyson Jackson was a reach last year when Aaron Curry was available and I don’t see any logic from them taking Berry. Please prove me wrong.
Comment by Bob — April 7, 2010 @ 9:36 am
Found this on ESPN inRumors. I like the idea!
K.C. interested in Gaither? 4:23PM ET
Jared Gaither | Ravens | Interested: Chiefs?, Cardinals?, Raiders?, Bills?, Colts?
Top Email Updating the Jared Gaither saga — for some background, click here — there was a report from Jason La Canfora of NFL.com last week that a trade could get done for the LT with just a high second-round pick coming back to the Ravens in return. As we know, Gaither was tendered at the first-round RFA level, so if a team signed him away with an offer sheet the Ravens didn’t match, they’d send their first-round pick to Baltimore.
In essence, this now means that teams who were previously scared off because they picked so high in the first round are now back in the picture. Our speculation at the time was that the Redskins (No. 37 overall) could be in that cohort, but that’s out of the question now that they’ve shipped the pick to Philly as part of the Donovan McNabb deal. The Raiders (No. 39 overall) and Bills (No. 41 overall) are the two teams most likely to get in the mix. Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com addressed the Bills’ possible interest in Gaither recently.
In exchange for a late first-rounder or early second-rounder, Gaither is a great value, according to Football Scientist KC Joyner, and depending on what happens with the LT-needy teams in the first round, Gaither could be the big story of Day 2 of the draft, per ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. So will the Chiefs take the plunge? ESPN AFC West blogger Bill Williamson thinks it’d be a smart move:
Bill Williamson
Good idea
“There has been talk Gaither could be on the move. Teams such as Washington and Dallas could make a play for him. Kansas City could use a tackle and it may use the No. 5 overall pick on one. So, pursuing Gaither could be smart. The Chiefs have two second-round picks and using one on Gaither would be a worthy investment and allow the Chiefs to both get a quality tackle and address another need, such as safety at No. 5.”
KC Joyner
Gaither is near elite status
“Gaither has been a starter for the past two seasons and in that time his metrics have been nothing short of superb. He has allowed only seven total sacks in 27 games and only one of these was a one-on-one sack (defined as when a defender beats a blocker in a one-on-one environment and tackles the quarterback in the pocket within three seconds of the snap). That illustrates Gaither’s dominant pass blocking skills, but his run blocking numbers are also quite notable. Gaither was at the Point of Attack (POA) on 300 running plays the past two years and he won his block 255 times, or 85 percent of the time. That is a solid number on its own, but his 2009 POA win rate of 89.0 percent is even more noteworthy. To put that total into perspective, consider that in a typical NFL season, a little less than one out of ten offensive linemen will crack the 90 percent POA win mark. Gaither was on the precipice of that mark last year despite battling injuries.”
Comment by Jeff in VA — April 7, 2010 @ 6:55 pm
If they pull the trigger on the Gaither trade (doubtful) then I say it has to be Berry. Otherwise I think an O-linemen is the way to go. Great teams almost always have a strong line, most great teams dont have an elite safety. If we didnt have so many needs Berry is the guy, but a great safety is more of a luxury on any team…..Other than Sharper who were the starting safeties in the Super Bowl?…. Dont say Bob Sanders, he was hurt.
Comment by Dane — April 11, 2010 @ 9:26 am
BERRY OR DIE!
Comment by Krypta Knight — April 11, 2010 @ 5:24 pm
Trading the 2nd round pick for Gaither would be ideal. We would be picking up a proven lineman who has experience, and is the missing piece our o-line needs. Bulaga or Okung will be good, but they haven’t proven themselves yet (I prefer a sure thing). Then we could actually pick up Eric Berry (or Suh if available) and not feel guilty about picking up Okung or Bulaga. Like all of you, I’ve been relatively disappointed with the picks that the Chiefs make in the first round (Ryan Sims…need I say more?). This is a chance for Pioli to have a great day and change the face of our franchise.
As long as Gaither doesn’t have injury problems, MAKE THIS TRADE!
Comment by InternationalArrowhead — April 13, 2010 @ 3:16 am
Ok lets not get Berry and let the rest of the NFL throw deep balls all day on us like last year.. a decent lineman isnt gonna give us enough strength to score more points than our defense will give up if we dont have a last a second defense(Eric Berry). we need a safety cuz our secondary is always terrible. get a lineman in the second round or go for this Gaither guy.
Comment by PO'd Chiefs fan — April 13, 2010 @ 9:12 am
Okung will be GONE by #5….BERRY! BERRY! BERRY!
Comment by Jose — April 15, 2010 @ 8:35 am