Detroit Lions 2010 Mock Draft Notes: The Eric Berry Problem
Okay, Lions fans, here’s the problem.
Eric Berry is going to be a phenomenal player. There is very little doubt of this among fans, coaches, and draft experts alike.
Any team that picks him will be happy they did, and enjoy an instant upgrade in their secondary. His scouting report reads like that of Ed Reed.
But the Detroit Lions can’t pick him. There’s no way.
It’s not because he won’t be available. The St. Louis Rams need help all over, but they’re not likely to start at safety.
It’s also not because the Lions don’t need help in the secondary, because very few units in professional football got burned worse last season than the Lions’ secondary.
It’s simply because of the Lions’ draft position. It’s tough to take a safety at No. 2 overall.
It’s tougher when budding star Louis Delmas is already anchoring one of the safety positions after being picked 33rd overall in last year’s draft.
Most mock drafts right now feature either Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen or Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh going to the Rams with the first overall pick.
The drafts that feature Clausen to the Rams typically feature Suh to the Lions, and the ones that feature Suh to the Rams feature Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy, another defensive tackle, to the Lions.
In all cases, Berry goes right around fifth, give or take a spot or two. And that’s just about right. He’s one of the most complete players in the draft, but doesn’t play a core position, so right in the middle of the top-10 is a perfect spot.
Fifth? Good. Second? A reach. Seems like a trivial difference, but that’s how NFL draft season works.
In addition, drafting Berry would give the Lions unquestionably the best young safety tandem in the game… and then make that irrelevant as the poor line and cornerback play force them to compensate for the lack of talent elsewhere.
In other words, it doesn’t make any sense to stack one position with talent when nearly every other position is starved for even one starting-quality player.
And yet, the allure of having a shutdown player in the secondary, a playmaker with deceptive closing speed, is tempting, regardless.
And that is why Eric Berry is a problem.
Under no circumstances would Berry be a bad pick by any team not already sporting a pair of All-Pro safeties. He will be as good at his position as Clausen, Suh, McCoy, or anyone else in the draft, if not better.
But despite a wide open position alongside Delmas, the Lions cannot afford to take the kind of reach necessary to pull in Berry with the No. 2 pick, even though it might be the best move they could make.
Not with Suh, McCoy, and Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung still on the board.
Okung poses another major issue for the Lions. Even with the top-heavy class of left tackles last year, and the Lions getting two first-round picks, they passed - twice - on replacing Jeff Backus.
Now, with the regular season over for only a few days, reports are coming out that the coaches in Detroit, particularly offensive line coach George Yarno, are happy after Backus’ 2009 performance, even going so far as to call him “upper echelon.”
Translation: The No. 2 pick will not be Okung to the Lions, even if it makes sense to everyone else.
So that makes two players, Berry and Okung, that will likely have phenomenal careers, and would fill a need for the Lions, but will not be donning Honolulu Blue in April.
And that’s okay. It has to be okay. This is part of the pain of rebuilding.
Every draft, you wonder what could have been. Or worse, you see it for real, as the guy your team almost drafted becomes a superstar with another team.
But really, the Eric Berry problem is a good problem to have. This problem means that the Lions have their pick of a number of top talents to fill existing team needs, none of which will be considered categorically bad picks.
This isn’t a situation where the Lions are picking between a can’t-miss player in a nonessential position or a less talented player in a position of major need. They’re all great players, all in positions of great need for the Lions.
And Eric Berry is one of them. He would become a fantastic player for the Lions.
Which will make it difficult - necessary, but difficult - when the Lions inevitably don’t draft him.
I wish you were wrong Dean, but I’m afraid you’re right. It’s silly, though. Look how important safeties are in today’s game. Do you think a team wouldn’t draft Ed Reed No. 2 overall? Or Polamalu? Of course they would. You need good safeties, I would love to see the Lions take this risk. But I’m guessing they’ll probably just take a good WR instead.
If played right, it could work….
Say for instance, they take Berry at No.2. They could try to steal Cody in the 2nd round or the kid from North Carolina. From there take the best DB on the board. Easier said than done of course, especially with all the intangibles that come with the draft
It’s amazing they love Backus so much as the entire state of Michigan loathes the guy. The whole left side needs an upgrade in my opinion.
If Ed Reed was 22 and available at #2 would you take him? What about Troy Palamalu? Thought so. Me too.
The Lions finally get a break, the Rams take Clausen and the Lions get SUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If St Louis drafts Clausen (and its a big if because Suh is that good), the Lions will trade out of the # 2 spot, stay in the top 10, and grab a very talented player. The extra picks are more important than any one particular player. The top 10 is that good this year.
A championship football team is built from the ground up. A dominant offensive line is the backbone of a team. And the best defense truly is what wins championships. Do you take the best player available? Only if their is a means to an end. Doing anything out of necessety is risky at best. That being said, should the Pistons have taken the big guy(cant even remember his name), or Carmello Anthony. WTF were they thinking? You take the best player available. Then let the pieces fall where they may. These people are assets. Just like you and me. Take the best asset and trade for proven players. Or more players. God knows we need help. I’d take an offensive tackle and move Backus to right tackle. He seems to have the power but kinda slow of foot. The quick ends beet him around the corner. Stafford is gonna be a good one. Johnson is solid. The running game will improve with better pass protection. More time of posession helps the defense. We need a leader on defense too. I’d draft the best OT. Then draft all defense and let them fight for a job. It would be nice to have a strong defensive end though. I would not trade Calvin Johnson. The boy is tough. Offensive line is key. I played tight end and DE. So I just appreciate the flexability that a good O-line affords. It would be sweet if the Lions could trade down and get an OT and CB or safety. You aint gonna draft a running back like Barry unless you hit the lotto. The best you can do is put the best pieces in place you can. Look at Emmit Smith. A good man and a player but nowhere near the runningback Barry was. Yeah I said it. C’mon. Have you seen Barry run live. Not even close. But he had a tough O-line. Pleease. I hope the Lions are listening.
The Lions should trade back to like the 5th of 6th pick, draft Okung (If they don’t get Stafford some protection he will be a bust) and then take one of the many good DT’s in the draft. Maybe trade with the Seahawks and try and get both the sixth and fourteenth pick, if the Seahawks would do that.
I like what every one has but its the same thing every year,they cnt build the defense an offense with the draft no one has mentioned free agency maybe if they took the time to scout real nfl talent that might help,as far as the defense goes they can filll 2 3 or 4 slots on defense take suh 1st round ot 2nd round and fill the rest of your needs with the rest of the draft.scouting free agency and good sound draft picks we hve been losers for so long lets give mayhew and schwartz a chance i think they can turn it around restore the roar.
You spent 70 million or so to get your QB, Trade down if you can with K.C. & take the best LT R.Okung & get there 2nd or 3rd pick out of the deal…. Then move Backus inside to Guard to solidify that line.