“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.
No comments:
Post a Comment