FWIW, Mays brings an extra intangible to the table that guys like Thomas just don't. He really tattoos guys when they come over the middle, and that can be worth multiple catches a game that the other team doesn't make because they get alligator arms.

What the hell?

He's playing deep cover 1. If he was gambling in coverage, USC would have one of the worst pass D's in the country, but they don't.

The reason why he doesn't show a lot of "instinct" is because he's handcuffed by the scheme. He's literally the last line of defense not on just one side of the field, but the whole field.

He's actually fairly underated..

That said.. I would put him even or possibly slightly above Mays as a prospect if he had stayed another year... as it is he is probably a SMIDGE below him... literally shouldn't go more than a few spots(5 or so) further down ... depending on what teams need safety help.

My take-

Berry - top 5

Mays 5 - 15 range

Thomas 10 - 25 range

All solid first round guys.

Hell, I'd love to see him slip to the second if we miss on Berry in the 1st... I have NO hope that Mays will slip past the middle of the 1st.

When I've watched him he reacts slowly to a pass play and bites hard on play action passes, pumps and the like. He uses his legs to get to the play after it develops rather than instinctively flowing with a play. I think he's going to get hammered in the pros because of it, and I think he'd be a much better linebacker than he would a safety. Playing safety probably has helped his pass defense skills enough that it would translate to linebacker coverage quite well. I just wouldn't trust him deep in the pros. From what I've heard, he could easily add the weight while maintaining the athleticism, so moving up a level wouldn't be that big a deal.

I think he could be a Urlacher type player in the pros if they move him to linebacker. I think he'll be a worse version of LaRon Landry if he stays at safety.

The Texas history should cost him at least 5-10 spots.

Berry leads rapidly improving safety class

Monday, January 4, 2010 | Print Entry


Posted by Kevin Weidl

With Tennessee S Eric Berry announcing his intention to enter the NFL draft it looks like the safety class could become one of the strongest in 2010.

Berry joins a senior standout from one of the nation's top programs and a talented South Florida senior among those whose names are on the board for sure, but more top underclassmen could be coming. Here's a look at Scouts Inc.'s top-rated safeties, including those who have yet to declare, and where they stand at their position.



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Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Don't be surprised if Eric Berry is an instant playmaker in the NFL.
Berry did not have his best game in Tennessee's 37-14 loss to Virginia Tech in the Chik-fil-A bowl, missing a few tackles and having a little trouble getting off blocks, but he is a playmaker in all areas who can change games all by himself. Berry had just two interceptions this season but that is a function of his more versatile role in defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin's scheme, one that had Berry playing in the box and lined up over slot receivers in man coverage more often.

He did not get a chance to showcase his range and ball skills as much this season but did show his tackling skills and overall game on a more consistent basis. Berry is a bit undersized and his lack of upper-body strength could be a problem in the box at the NFL level, but his range in coverage and willingness in run support make him an elite prospect. He also flashes burst and the ability to locate seams as a kickoff returner and is the SEC record holder for career interception return yards (493)

Berry currently ranks as the top overall player on Scouts Inc.'s board and his ability to impact games the same way Baltimore Ravens S Ed Reed does makes Berry a sure top-10 pick.

• If Texas redshirt sophomore S Earl Thomas declares for the draft the safety class will have a pair of top-15 picks at the top. Thomas has outstanding range in deep zone coverage (8 interceptions, 16 PBUs), can cover slot receivers man-to-man and shows excellent fluidity in his hips, and he is an instinctive run defender who gets downhill quickly. Thomas might have better closing burst than Berry, however, and on film he just seems to be moving at a different speed than everyone else at times.

• USC senior S Taylor Mays is a buyer-beware prospect in our opinion. Mays' size-speed ratio is off the charts (6-foot-3, 236 pounds; 4.44-second 40-yard dash), but don't be mesmerized by his measurables. We have seen multiple coverage breakdowns from Mays in every game we have studied, including mistakes against Ohio State, California and Boston College that led directly to red zone trips and/or touchdowns for the offense.

Mays is an explosive run defender who delivers big blows to ball carriers, but he is slow to react in coverage and takes bad angles to balls in the air and receivers after the catch. His top-shelf physical tools will get him off the board in the first round but Mays just does not make as many plays in coverage as you'd like to see from an elite prospect.
• LSU junior Chad Jones is nearly as well-put together (6-2½, 225) as Mays, and Jones is the leader of the Tigers' defense with his smarts, instincts and strength. He shows up at the biggest moments -- tipping a pass on third down and stuffing a goal line running play on fourth down as LSU held off Mississippi State in the final seconds -- and is a physical presence when asked to play in the box. Jones can hold his own in coverage but is at his best defending the run, and we rank him an early-second round prospect.

• Watch out for Clemson junior DeAndre McDaniel, who has flown under the radar but is extremely athletic, has great range in coverage and run support, locates the ball well and is a strong open-field tackler. McDaniel has not gotten a lot of hype to this point but after watching film on him we get the feeling he will shoot up draft boards as the process unfolds. For now we grade him in the second round.

• South Florida senior Nate Allen is perhaps the most fluid safety in the nation in pass coverage, and because he does such a good job staying with receivers there has been some talk in scouting circles that Allen could move to cornerback at the next level. He showed those skills on a two-play sequence in the red zone in USF'S win over Northern Illinois in the International Bowl.

Allen did a great job recognizing a wheel route when the Huskies tried to sneak a running back out of the formation to the weak side, sticking with the back and blanketing him all the way to the back of the end zone. On the very next play he stayed home on a misdirection play, reading the play fake and doing a great job of staying with and then taking out the fullback when the ball was thrown to him.

Plays like that could move Allen into the middle or early part of the second round before all is said and done.
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I didn't write it but I did think it was an interesting take on Mays.


PhilFree:arrow:

Landry was a natural SS.

Mays can play either position.

Again, what you may call "slow reaction" is in many cases a part of the scheme in which he plays. He can't play out of control because if he takes even a slightly bad angle it's 6.

It's basically a Mike Brown on Miles Austin situation any time anyone gets to his level of the D. If he misses, it's 6.

I hope it does, he'd be a STEAL for us in the 2nd round. Of course I hope to god we don't NEED to draft safety in the 2nd

I understand the reasons to go pro this year... but Thomas would have been a top 10 pick if he'd stayed another year. (barring injury)

That said, somebody must be telling him he'll still be in the top 15... or I don't see him making this decision.

Rookie pay scale gives him all the reasons in the world.

Another year for Thomas in college just reduces his chance of making $$ from his first contract and opens him up to additional scrutiny (which is exactly what happened to Mays this year).

I am still wondering if Jake Locker will change his mind once someone sits him down and explains how he is throwing away tens of millions of dollars by staying another year, or more, just look at what happened to Sam Bradford.

This may be the last year when rookies at the top of the draft can cash in big time.

Or maybe that the Raiders would draft him this year if he came out, which would be a major incentive to return to school. (And with his size and speed, and Russell's inability to throw a pass that didn't look like a punt, it would have been a distinct possibility that Crazy Al would have drafted him.)

This is what slightly worries me about Mays. If he has been playing in a scheme for so long that doesn't suit what KC would need him for, how long of a learning curve would he need to transform his game to KC's scheme? Would it take away from his overall game to make the switch? We can speculate all day long, but it is a concern.

The good news is a strength of this draft matches well with perhaps our most glaring weakness - Safety. Deciding between Berry and Mays is sort of like choosing between Jennifer Aniston or Jennifer Garner.