When the Kansas City Chiefs selected Eric Berry with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, they didn’t just land a dynamic playmaker and future franchise legend. They also robbed the Cleveland Browns of a player they desperately wanted to add to their defense as well.
Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek, who was in the Cleveland Browns front office in 2010, recently revealed on the Raiders' official podcast that Berry was very much in play for their pick. Had Kansas City not taken him, the Browns might have pounced next.
“It was a draft where we had conversations back and forth on Eric Berry and Joe Haden and who the right pick was at that point, if they both were available,” Spytek explained. “Turns out at seven, there was only one available. It was Joe Haden, as Eric went fifth that year.”
The Chiefs were hardly the only team eyeing Eric Berry in the top 10 of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Spytek noted that the Browns felt good about another safety—T.J. Ward—in the second round, which ultimately made Haden the safer play. But make no mistake: Berry was seen as elite.
“While it was really close between Eric and Joe, we felt like the drop-off from corner at Joe... was a lot greater than the drop-off from Eric to a player named T.J. Ward,” Spytek said.
Spytek's quotes are interesting because the idea of taking a safety so early in an NFL Draft was considered a major shift in front office strategy at the time. Even today, taking a safety with a top-five pick is a rare phenomenon, but in 2010, it was quite shocking. Yet Berry was considered as sure thing as a prospect can be, and the Chiefs made the selection..
Berry would go on to validate the Chiefs’ belief in him with a very impressive career. In nine seasons, all with the Chiefs, he racked up 445 tackles, 14 interceptions, and 5 defensive touchdowns. Berry was named to three Pro Bowl rosters, and he was also honored with three First-Team All-Pro selections.
Even more impressive was Berry's character, leadership, and courage. He was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2015 after returning from a battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma, further cementing his place as a hero for Kansas City and the greater NFL.
Still, it's not as if the Browns missed out after the Chiefs selected Berry. Joe Haden went on to a great career himself, and Spytek and company were also right about T.J. Ward. Maybe Cleveland should have never let Spytek leave.