9. NAT BERHE, San Diego State (5-10½, 194, 4.57, 4) – Three-year starter at a combination safety-LB hybrid position. "He's tough as hell," one scout said. "Good ol' football player. He didn't run as good as we thought he would. He and Jimmie Ward are real similar. But you've got to have a special role for him." Finished with 299 tackles (11 for loss), five picks and 19 passes defensed. "He'll make a team," another scout said. "He didn't time good but he might be a free safety." From Colton, Calif.
Berhe was used in a variety of roles that showed his versatility. Between slot cornerback, single-high safety and in-the-box safety, Berhe brings value to a defense that needs a selfless player.
His best plays came when he played zone while lined up as a slot cornerback. This position allowed him to read the quarterback’s eyes and decide to play the underneath receiver or backpedal and defend deeper routes. His efficiency in recognizing which route is the correct play is impressive, and this should translate to the NFL.
Has good closing speed when he’s running towards the line of scrimmage. His short-area burst allows him to break up passes on curl routes and comebacks.
When he’s in man coverage, Berhe shows a good trigger down, which is the transition from backpedaling to pivot, and following the receiver back to the ball.
There are instances where he doesn’t locate the ball quickly, but he’s alert enough to play the hands of the receiver, at least giving him the chance to score a knockdown and force an incompletion.
Very productive tackler throughout his career because he has good form and fundamentals. He can also knock the ball-carrier or receiver out from good, timed hits downfield.
Reads running gaps at the line of scrimmage very effectively, almost like a linebacker. He gets a lot of his tackles near the line of scrimmage for that reason.
Negatives
Lacks the size and frame to be as much of an impact at the line of scrimmage as he was in college. He struggled bringing down bigger athletes, and the NFL features many players bigger than Berhe.
His best long-term position is likely slot cornerback for a zone scheme. He reads quarterbacks' eyes well, but his speed is below average for a defensive back. Defensive coordinators will need to limit one-on-one opportunities for the offense to exploit his size and speed.
Struggles tracking the ball in coverage because he focuses on the receiver throughout the play. Since he plays the hands of the receiver well, he might get a fair share of deflections, but he misses opportunities for interceptions.
Gets grabby and will get called for pass interference penalties if he continues to fall behind receivers early in their routes. His technique and timing needs to improve.
Will resort to holding when in coverage and he feels beaten. Due to his size in coverage, keeping him near the line of scrimmage or in a set zone could be his best fit.
Collegiate Statistics
Collegiate Statistics Year Team Tackles PD INT
2010 San Diego St 39 5 1
2011 San Diego St 67 7 2
2012 San Diego St 94 7 2
2013 San Diego St 99 6 0
Full name is Natneal Berhe.
First-team All-Mountain West Conference in 2013
Graduating with a degree in public administration.
Former 3-star recruit from Colton, Calif.
Twitter handle is @NatBerhe.
Ratings Chart
Graph made by http://nces.ed.gov
Overall
Nat Berhe was a key contributor and on-the-field leader for San Diego State throughout his career. As he enters the NFL, he might have to switch full time to slot cornerback as he develops his coverage technique, but he should be able to stick around the league as a special teams and depth player. Link - ( New Window )
especially this line "instinctive defender with a nose for the ball. Secondary leader. Reads and reacts quickly. Active and energetic -- terrific pursuit effort. Motor runs hot. Plays fast."
Sounds like a kid that plays faster on tape than he times in shorts. That's good.
Instinctive defender with a nose for the ball. Secondary leader. Reads and reacts quickly. Active and energetic -- terrific pursuit effort. Motor runs hot. Plays fast. Good balance and body control. Smooth pedal. Good ball reactions. Disguises coverages. Sells blitzes and baits quarterbacks (see vs. Fresno State's Derek Carr). Tough, confident and competitive.
Aggressive tackler. Plays with abandon. Flashes explosive striking ability. Lives and breathes football. Experienced, four-year starter with desirable makeup. Very likable personality.
2013: First-team All-Mountain West pick after leading his team in tackles (99). 2012: Second-team All-Mountain West selection after starting all 13 games and leading his team in tackles (94). 2011: Honorable mention All-Mountain West pick after starting all 13 games. 2010: Played in 12 games and started two. 2009: Redshirted.
Analysis
Strengths
Very good instincts -- has a nose for the ball. Reads and reacts quickly. Very active with great on-field energy and pursuit effort. Outstanding motor. Plays fast. Good balance and body control. Smooth pedal. Can man up tight ends and keep pace. Good ball reactions. Does a good job disguising coverages and selling the blitz -- baited Derek Carr into some bad and rushed throws. Tough competitor. Plays with confidence. Aggressive tackler. Sacrifices his body and sells out around piles. Flashes explosive striking ability. Lives and breathes football. Very likeable personality. Secondarly leader. Outstanding intangibles. Experienced, four-year starter.
Weaknesses
Cornerback size with short arms and small hands. Has a light frame with limited weight potential and could stand to get stronger. Plays a bit out of control and will miss some tackles in the open-field. Takes some bad angles. Leaks yards when he comes in high and has to grab and drag instead of driving through the ball carrier. Average production on the ball. Limited special-teams experience.
Bottom Line
Compactly built, highly competitive, active, energetic safety with a mixture of strong and free safety traits. Profiles like a solid backup and core special-teamer with makeup to push for a more prominent role.
-Nolan Nawrocki
heard of him. Like the report though as a tough football player. Special teamer maybe until he learns the safety position. You knew the Giants were taking a safety somewhere with Hill most likely done. Cooper Taylor may see some time as an OLB in packages maybe???
PROS: He has excellent speed. Nat Berhe can close on a ball carrier, and do it fast. He tackles through the man with the ball as well. Why? Because that is how you FINISH. You don’t miss when you tackle through the guy. He seems to have excellent instincts as to where the ball is going as well, and he can, despite not a lot of interceptions, make a play on the ball when called upon to do so.
CONS: The biggest one to be is going to be the level of competition, not coming for a larger school that plays more highly regarded teams. It’s hard to get a lot of “cons” from these tapes, so this time, I am going to give you the “cons” from his NFL combine profile….
Cornerback size with short arms and small hands. Has a light frame with limited weight potential and could stand to get stronger. Plays a bit out of control and will miss some tackles in the open-field. Takes some bad angles. Leaks yards when he comes in high and has to grab and drag instead of driving through the ball carrier. Average production on the ball. Limited special-teams experience.
Hi Nat. Have you spoken with any of your former SDSU teammates who have been through the draft process (Miles Burris, Ronnie Hillman and Ryan Lindley)? If so, what advice have they given you? Good luck with the draft, I'll be rooting for you.
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[–]Nat Berhe - NFL draft prospectnatberhe[S] 144 points 2 days ago
I've spoken to a ton of guys, the best advice I've received has actually come from Allen Bradford (Giants) he's my brothers best friend and the guy has a bit of Ray Lewis in him so he's definitely motivational.
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[–]PatriotsXylan_Treesong 59 points 2 days ago
If you don't mind my asking, what advice did he give you?
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[–]Nat Berhe - NFL draft prospectnatberhe[S] 196 points 2 days ago
He just told me that teams know a ball player when they see one and not to worry about the process, that the combine is for the fans and that when the draft comes around teams are doing what the need to win games.
But his combine footage looks horrible. Someone else said we drafted a small slow safety. He also seems to have hands of absolute stone, poor foot work, and even worse balance. Of course I'm basing this all off a 2 minute video on NFL.com from the combine, so....
7-FA
Berhe was used in a variety of roles that showed his versatility. Between slot cornerback, single-high safety and in-the-box safety, Berhe brings value to a defense that needs a selfless player.
His best plays came when he played zone while lined up as a slot cornerback. This position allowed him to read the quarterback’s eyes and decide to play the underneath receiver or backpedal and defend deeper routes. His efficiency in recognizing which route is the correct play is impressive, and this should translate to the NFL.
Has good closing speed when he’s running towards the line of scrimmage. His short-area burst allows him to break up passes on curl routes and comebacks.
When he’s in man coverage, Berhe shows a good trigger down, which is the transition from backpedaling to pivot, and following the receiver back to the ball.
There are instances where he doesn’t locate the ball quickly, but he’s alert enough to play the hands of the receiver, at least giving him the chance to score a knockdown and force an incompletion.
Very productive tackler throughout his career because he has good form and fundamentals. He can also knock the ball-carrier or receiver out from good, timed hits downfield.
Reads running gaps at the line of scrimmage very effectively, almost like a linebacker. He gets a lot of his tackles near the line of scrimmage for that reason.
Negatives
Lacks the size and frame to be as much of an impact at the line of scrimmage as he was in college. He struggled bringing down bigger athletes, and the NFL features many players bigger than Berhe.
His best long-term position is likely slot cornerback for a zone scheme. He reads quarterbacks' eyes well, but his speed is below average for a defensive back. Defensive coordinators will need to limit one-on-one opportunities for the offense to exploit his size and speed.
Struggles tracking the ball in coverage because he focuses on the receiver throughout the play. Since he plays the hands of the receiver well, he might get a fair share of deflections, but he misses opportunities for interceptions.
Gets grabby and will get called for pass interference penalties if he continues to fall behind receivers early in their routes. His technique and timing needs to improve.
Will resort to holding when in coverage and he feels beaten. Due to his size in coverage, keeping him near the line of scrimmage or in a set zone could be his best fit.
Collegiate Statistics
Collegiate Statistics Year Team Tackles PD INT
2010 San Diego St 39 5 1
2011 San Diego St 67 7 2
2012 San Diego St 94 7 2
2013 San Diego St 99 6 0
http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/nat-berhe-1.html
Personal Notes
Full name is Natneal Berhe.
First-team All-Mountain West Conference in 2013
Graduating with a degree in public administration.
Former 3-star recruit from Colton, Calif.
Twitter handle is @NatBerhe.
Ratings Chart
Graph made by http://nces.ed.gov
Overall
Nat Berhe was a key contributor and on-the-field leader for San Diego State throughout his career. As he enters the NFL, he might have to switch full time to slot cornerback as he develops his coverage technique, but he should be able to stick around the league as a special teams and depth player.
Link - ( New Window )
Sounds like a kid that plays faster on tape than he times in shorts. That's good.
Aggressive tackler. Plays with abandon. Flashes explosive striking ability. Lives and breathes football. Experienced, four-year starter with desirable makeup. Very likable personality.
2013: First-team All-Mountain West pick after leading his team in tackles (99). 2012: Second-team All-Mountain West selection after starting all 13 games and leading his team in tackles (94). 2011: Honorable mention All-Mountain West pick after starting all 13 games. 2010: Played in 12 games and started two. 2009: Redshirted.
Analysis
Strengths
Very good instincts -- has a nose for the ball. Reads and reacts quickly. Very active with great on-field energy and pursuit effort. Outstanding motor. Plays fast. Good balance and body control. Smooth pedal. Can man up tight ends and keep pace. Good ball reactions. Does a good job disguising coverages and selling the blitz -- baited Derek Carr into some bad and rushed throws. Tough competitor. Plays with confidence. Aggressive tackler. Sacrifices his body and sells out around piles. Flashes explosive striking ability. Lives and breathes football. Very likeable personality. Secondarly leader. Outstanding intangibles. Experienced, four-year starter.
Weaknesses
Cornerback size with short arms and small hands. Has a light frame with limited weight potential and could stand to get stronger. Plays a bit out of control and will miss some tackles in the open-field. Takes some bad angles. Leaks yards when he comes in high and has to grab and drag instead of driving through the ball carrier. Average production on the ball. Limited special-teams experience.
Bottom Line
Compactly built, highly competitive, active, energetic safety with a mixture of strong and free safety traits. Profiles like a solid backup and core special-teamer with makeup to push for a more prominent role.
-Nolan Nawrocki
link - ( New Window )
AMA - ( New Window )
CONS: The biggest one to be is going to be the level of competition, not coming for a larger school that plays more highly regarded teams. It’s hard to get a lot of “cons” from these tapes, so this time, I am going to give you the “cons” from his NFL combine profile….
Cornerback size with short arms and small hands. Has a light frame with limited weight potential and could stand to get stronger. Plays a bit out of control and will miss some tackles in the open-field. Takes some bad angles. Leaks yards when he comes in high and has to grab and drag instead of driving through the ball carrier. Average production on the ball. Limited special-teams experience.
Link - ( New Window )
I am a Unlv alumnus and I've seen him play. Very tough, physical, undersized though..
Link - ( New Window )
Are you telling me you know for a fact they could've traded down? Oh, you cant? That's what I thought. This isnt fucking Madden.
Just from watching his combine workout, I noticed he does move pretty well and has fluid hips...but goodness his hands might as well be frying pans.
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[–]Nat Berhe - NFL draft prospectnatberhe[S] 144 points 2 days ago
I've spoken to a ton of guys, the best advice I've received has actually come from Allen Bradford (Giants) he's my brothers best friend and the guy has a bit of Ray Lewis in him so he's definitely motivational.
permalink
parent
[–]PatriotsXylan_Treesong 59 points 2 days ago
If you don't mind my asking, what advice did he give you?
permalink
parent
[–]Nat Berhe - NFL draft prospectnatberhe[S] 196 points 2 days ago
He just told me that teams know a ball player when they see one and not to worry about the process, that the combine is for the fans and that when the draft comes around teams are doing what the need to win games.
OMG, Jeriz not readin teh internetz scowtin repotz!