Earlier this morning, Josh Looney over at KCChiefs.com posted some highlights of Eric Berry at the 2010 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, IN. I dug up a few more cilps on YouTube and posted them above. 

 You can argue whether this matters or not but Eric Berry's combine performance was widely regarded as one of the better if not top performances at the 2010 Combine. I know that's expected of an All-American and that's also why the smallest slip ups during next week's drills can cause a player to drop in the rankings. Expectations are running very high.

I guarantee that some of you watching this cringed a bit seeing Eric Berry drop that easy pass. Isn't that just ridiculous?  

The Kansas City Chiefs spent a third round pick on interior lineman Jon Asamoah. Learning more about him, he had all the characteristics that have defined the Chiefs 2010 draft: Versatile, high-character and smart.

810 WHB's The Program caught up with Ron Zook, Asamoah's college coach at the University of Illinois, and asked him why he thought Asamoah would play in the league for a "long, long time."

"Intelligence, athleticism, work ethic," Zook said. "He's one of those guys that just goes to work. He's a quiet leader. He's not one of those guys that talks a lot but he just goes to work and does the best he can possibly do. He's a winner. Very intelligent. He's won national awards for his athleticism but also his intelligence and what he's done in the classroom as well."

Zook says he's very athletic (former basketball player) and he's one of those guys that, once you get on campus, you don't have to worry about anymore. "He's never done anything to embarrass himself, his family, the University of Illinois, or the Kansas City Chiefs."

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Last week we took a poll to determine the best position battle as we enter training camp. Coming in number two, was tight end.

In one corner, you've got the rookie. Tony Moeaki is young, athletic and a solid blocker. The Chiefs have reason to get him on the field.

In the other corner, you've got the veteran, Leonard Pope, who recently told the Albany Herald at his football camp that he was ready to win the battle.

I feel I’m No. 1 right now, and don’t have plans to be anything besides that. I’m going to work hard and compete every day. It’s a competition, so I’m going to just do my job and compete.

I'd have to say, at this point, Pope is No. 1 on the non-existent depth chart. The Chiefs really like him but from the looks of it, Moeaki will have a fair shot to win the battle.

ESPN's Mel Kiper is one of the (many) folks who had good things to say about the Chiefs 2010 draft class. Kiper recently penned an Insider article talking about rookies that could make an instant impact in the league. Two of those players -- Eric Berry and Dexter McCluster -- have been given that label by quite a few folks.

First, he places Berry in the "Shoo-ins" category. Berry was described as one of the most complete, NFL ready players in the draft. His most recent season in football was with famed NFL defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin while he played a similar scheme to what the Chiefs run in his freshman and sophomore seasons at Tennessee.

Even though Berry may have a few "hiccups" early in the process, Kipers says, you can "lock this guy in your starting lineup from the first day and throw away the key."

Next, puts McCluster in the "Touchdown-Makers" category. He says the Chiefs "took a risk" with McCluster in the second round and that he's been "miscast" as a running back ala Darren Sproles.

Per Kiper, the key to McCluster's instant impact will be getting him the ball in the passing game. Thus far in OTAs, the Chiefs have worked him at running back (and the wildcat), receiver and returner. The feeling at this point is that he'll see the most time at receiver.

Sure, they've yet to put on the pads in the NFL, but the Chiefs rookie class continues to get good reviews.

One of the best parts of the draft is what happens weeks, months and even years later when we find out which team wanted which player.

Today we find out the Browns wanted Eric Berry.

How bad?

Enough to call the Chiefs on draft day about trading up from the 7th spot to the 5th spot. The likely compensation, reports Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, was a third round pick.

So what did the Chiefs say?

Nothing. They never called the Browns back.

Apparently a third round pick wasn't enough to dissuade the Chiefs from selecting Berry.

Chiefs GM Scott Pioli covets second and third round picks so that should tell you how highly they think of Berry.

They say you don't take a safety fifth overall but then, in the same breath, they say Eric Berry is the best safety since Sean Taylor (also taken fifth overall).

A Tennessee beat writer joined Soren Petro on the Red Zone on KCChiefs.com this week to talk about Berry's transition into the NFL and why he may be the exception to the "No safeties that high" rule.

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Well, Deron Cherry approves of Chiefs fifth pick Eric Berry.

Cherry of course is arguably the best safety to ever lace 'em up for the Chiefs.

"If you can get a quality player like Berry is, and shore up that part of your defensive game with a guy that's a playmaker...I like the pick," Cherry told Soren Petro on 810 WHB this morning. "I think it was a smart pick for the Chiefs. I think this is a guy that could potentially be in the league for 10 or 12 years."

While there are some similarities in their game, Berry and Cherry also have a lot of differences. Cherry wasn't a top five pick. He was undrafted. He wasn't winning national awards in college. He didn't make $50 million and sign with Adidas.

Despite those differences, Cherry says football is football.

"The game is still the same," he said. "It boils down to fundamentals. Yeah there are good athletes but there were good athletes when we were playing. It's all relative."

If Berry turns out to be anything like Cherry, then it will be a tremendous success.

Six Pro Bowls, three-time first team All-Pro and a Man of the Year award? I think the Chiefs would take that.

Chiefs coach Todd Haley was on Sirius NFL Radio last week going through all the Chiefs picks. I noticed he seemed to gush a little extra about second round pick Javier Arenas.

Haley says "there was no one more excited than I was" when the Chiefs were able to select him.

"When you start this process months ago, and going through the scouts reports, I don't know that you can read a better football character side of a report. And this guy has football character. When scouts say he treats everyday and every practice like the Super Bowl, you take notice. Again, you put on the tape and he backs it up. this kid's a player. He's got a chip on his shoulder. He's another guy that's probably been told all along he's too small.

"He found a way to get into a pretty good program there and play pretty good defense and win a national championship. He's a pretty good returner. I think he's the kind of guy you want on your team.

"When his name came off the board, there was no one more excited than I was. He's a defensive version of Dexter McCluster."

High praise from a team that places an extra emphasis on character.