“Every player is different,” Berry said. “Every player is in a unique situation and has a unique backstory. You go into a school and the narrative you’re presented on a player might be 70 percent truth, so you’re trying to find guys that have shown for a long period of time the ability to focus on football. Guys that maybe have been doubted and proved people wrong, guys that have a chip on their shoulder. Part of it is what they’ve demonstrated over the course of their career, and then you talk to them, take all of that research that you’ve done throughout sometimes two seasons, and you begin to develop a relationship with a prospect. Then you get to feel what’s motivating them, what’s driving them. Guys that have that drive, edge, chip on their shoulder, that comes across when you talk to them. You can’t fake it. So that’s what we’re trying to distill through the process of our interviews and figure out which guys have that, and which don’t. You’re really trying to get a player to be authentic in your presence, be themselves, and that’s when you can see.”
In 2008, Berry joined Seattle as a Southwest area scout, rising to national evaluator in 2014. In 2015, Berry was named director of national scouting, a role he served until his latest promotion. From discussing the importance of day-three selections and undrafted free agents, to scouring every level of NCAA football for talent, Berry’s value on building relationships with players and schools is a metaphor for the player-first environment Carroll and John Schneider have built in Seattle. Berry also provided more insight into what the combine interview process looks like for the Seahawks.
“To think you’re going to figure out a 18 to 22-year-old in a 17-minute interview at the combine is foolish,” he said. “If you’re going to base your decision on one or two interactions, you probably won’t have good results. With the underclassmen, this will be our first interaction with them in Indianapolis. We try to develop relationships with these guys over a period of time to try to see where they’re coming from. Because everybody has a different background. I don’t know if the direct approach, if there’s an issue that you’re concerned about, is the best way to do it. If they’re in an environment with six to 10 people they’ve never met in their lives, there’s usually cameras in the room, the kids are under stress just from the environment. It depends on the person and how many interactions we’ve had with them and…
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