Monte Kiffin encouraged Eric Berry to enter NFL Draft

While the top safety in this year’s class was looking for some advice on whether to forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft, he reached out his defensive coordinator.

Tennessee safety Eric Berry is the consenses No. 1 rated safety. When making his decision, he sought out his defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Kiffin was a longtime defensive coordinator in the NFL, so there it was clear why Berry would look to him to ask about his pro potential.

“Monte told me I’d be a fool to stay,” Berry said.

Berry was coming off of what was considered a down year for him. He only had two interceptions and no sacks after having 7 INTs and 3 sacks in his sophomore campaign.

The Volunteer standout had an explanation for his lackluster numbers. “People treated me like I had the plague last season,” he said.

Berry stated at this year’s combine that he believes he should be the first-overall player selected in the upcoming draft. He was asked if he thought he was the most talented player in the draft class and without hesitation said yes.

He added, “I don’t think something like a position should prevent someone from being picked, but if you wanna go into position, I played almost every position on the field. Under Coach (Monte) Kiffin’s scheme, you could say that I played a lot of linebacker … I play either safety spot … natural corner.”

While it looks like the St. Louis Rams are leaning towards Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford first overall, Berry should find himself landing safely in the top 5 come April.