Scouting the NFL Draft: S Nat Berhe

Dec 20, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego State Aztecs defensive back

(left) intercepts a pass intended for Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver

(bottom) during the fourth quarter as Aztecs defensive back

(20) looks on at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight, as we continue to watch and bring you all of the news from free agency, we don’t want to let the draft get out of view either. Tonight, we are taking a look at a player that the Jets are high on, per our buddy Jake Steinberg from the Jets Blog. He has his finger on the pulse, so keep the player in mind if he makes the suggestion. That player is S Nat Berhe from San Diego State University.

Here are his stats as a four-year starter at SDSU:

Defense & Fumbles

These are the stats of a guy that is definitely around the football a lot.

Here are his particulars from the Combine:

MEASURABLES:

He stands in at 5’10” tall, and 193 pounds. Berhe ran the 40 yard dash in 4.71 seconds, and the 3 Cone Drill, testing his ability to change directions, at a very respectable 7.08 seconds.

Here are some highlights:

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.

Taking all of that into account, I tend to agree with Jake’s assessment. The kid does have some weaknesses, but he can “ball”. As a mid-late round pick, the Jets would do just fine here.