IDP Dynasty Rookie Rankings Jul 27, 2010 | More

Defensive backs

1.01 Eric Berry

1.02  Morgan Burnett

2.01 Taylor Mays

2.02 Nate Allen

2.03 Kareem Jackson

3.01 Myron Lewis

3.02 Kyle Wilson

3.03 Earl Thomas  

Eric Berry

“No alarms and no surprises,” Thom Yorke of Radiohead sang. And there are none to be had here, either.

Berry , alongside Ndamukong Suh and Sam Bradford, could easily be the best overall player in the draft. Sadly, Berry suffers from the misfortune of representing one of those positions (like linebacker and tight end, etc.) that does not often get drafted in the rarified strata that is the Top 5 picks of the NFL draft very often.

Aside from being an outstanding athlete with supreme instinctual ability, both in anticipation, reading plays, tackling and coverage, he has also played a full season in what is one of the closest things to a pro-defense that you will find at the collegiate level. It’s very difficult to say how pro-ready Berry will be without talking about the defensive co-coordinator he worked under in his senior year, Monte Kiffin. Taken from Kiffin’s Wikipedia entry:

He is widely considered to be one of the preeminent defensive coordinators in modern football, as well as one of the greatest defensive coordinators in NFL history. Father of the often-imitated “Tampa Cover 2” defense, Kiffin’s philosophy is one of the most influential in modern college and pro football.

His defensive units have finished ranked in the Top 10 in points allowed and yards allowed 10 times during that period, an NFL record.

So, marry one supreme athlete with complete football skills with one of the greatest defensive co-coordinators the NFL has seen and you get ... Berry. Scouts have said he has the talent to be a shut-down corner of Darrelle Revis' caliber if he wanted to make the positional switch, as well as comparing his talent to contemporaries like Ed Reed and Brian Dawkins as a safety.

A storied player and three-year team captain, already with enough awards to assuage even the most skeptical of scouts, I’m genuinely more excited about seeing Berry in action in the league than either Sam Bradford, Rolando McClain or Dez Bryant.

Awards Berry has won, by year:

2009 - Unanimous All-American

2000s - ESPN All-Decade High School Football Team

2000s - RivalsHigh.com Team of the Decade First Team

2000s - Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team

2009 - Jim Thorpe Award

2009 - Bronko Nagurski Award Finalist

2009 - Lott Award Finalist

Kansas City has already installed him as the first team starter at Strong Safety - the “money” position of the two safety slots. Berry is primed to have a long and very, very productive individual defensive player (IDP) fantasy career. Even if you don’t need a defensive back, I’d consider drafting him as he really is just that good.

Morgan Burnett

The former Georgia Tech safety - like Berry - is a great athlete with ability. Primarily, this is about Atari Bigby as much as how good a player Burnett actually is, and he is very good.

For some reason, the penalty prone injury-magnet that is called Bigby is under the impression that despite Ted Thompson making a rare trade-up in the draft to select a highly talented draft pick that just “happens” to play the same position he does, that the Packers franchise should pay him more money. It’s a head-scratcher for sure, but apparently, it makes sense in Bigby’s world. As such, Burnett has spent the entire offseason working out with the first-team alongside Nick Collins.

I just hope Bigby hasn’t got a mortgage on a property up there in Wisconsin ...

Burnett had a disappointing 2009 season by his exemplary standards, but still managed to record 77 tackles and four interceptions. He leaves Georgia Tech with the second-highest number of career interceptions (14) and finishes as the eighth all-time leading tackler at defensive back (235).

The scariest thing about Burnett is that he is only 21 and will have the opportunity to play safety on a prolific passing team that will give him plenty of opportunity to showcase his ability. Also, he has the opportunity to learn playing alongside one of the best safeties currently playing (Collins) and form a very formidable tandem. Burnett is not only going to become a fixture in that Green Bay defense, but he’s going to become a productive leader for many seasons to come.

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