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March 22, 2010 at 9:02 AM

Eric Berry: Seeds of a draft-day slide?

SCOTT BOEHM / GETTY IMAGES

Tennessee safety Eric Berry runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis earlier this year. Berry is considered a candidate to be chosen No. 6 overall by Seattle.

Sports Illustrated reporter Peter King included an assessment of Eric Berry's draft-day potential that included two facts that should interest every Seahawks fan:

• Of the five safeties chosen in the top 10 during last decade (the Naughties is my preferred phrase), none was a franchise player, says King. Taylor was the closest, a No. 5 overall pick in 2004, but he was murdered during his fourth season in the league.

• Second, King includes a quote from Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitrioff that points to the fact that Kansas City might not be scooping up Berry at No. 6. King talked to Dimitrioff about taking a safety in the first third of the first round:

"'It's been on my mind a lot lately, and I realize I'm speaking out of both sides of my mouth here, but Berry's a really good player. It's been on my mind quite a bit recently. You want the good hitter with hip movement, able to turn and run, but then reality sets in. I was talking to [Kansas City GM] Scott Pioli about Berry, and I said, 'Scott, this guy's your pick.' And he said, 'You know how I feel about safeties that early.' And I understand.' "
Peter King, CNNSI.com

Now, is that a definitive assessment of Kansas City's intentions? Nope. But Pioli and Dimitrioff both come from New England, where they worked closely. It's certainly a pretty solid signal that if Berry is still on the board at No. 5, he'll be on the board at No. 6 when Seattle chooses.

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Eric Berry: Seeds of a draft-day slide?

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