Eric Berry James Eric Berry ( born December 29 , 1988 ) , nicknamed " The Fifth Dimension , " is an American football safety for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Tennessee , was a two - time unanimous All - American , and was recognized as the best collegiate defensive back in the country . The Kansas City Chiefs chose him with the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft . Early years . Berry was born in Fairburn , Georgia . He attended Creekside High School in Fairburn , and was a standout athlete for the Creekside Seminoles track and football teams . Berry played cornerback and quarterback , earning a 37 - 5 record as a starter at Creekside . He was teammates with Rokevious Watkins and Terrance Parks . Following his stellar high school career , Berry was invited to play in the 2007 U . S . Army All - American Bowl . Berry was considered the top player in Georgia and the top cornerback prospect by every recruiting service , and " Rivals . com " ranked him the # 3 player in the nation . He was once clocked at 4 . 38 - 4 . 41 range at the 40 - yard dash at a soft indoor surface at a high school Combine . Track and field . Berry was also a standout athlete for the Creekside High School track team . He set school records in long jump , with a leap of 6 . 95 meters , and 200 meters , with a time of 21 . 76 seconds . Berry was the anchor leg of the 2006 Class 4A state championship 4 x 400 metres relay team . Individually , he was the 2005 Class 4A state champion in the 200 meters . College career . Berry received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee , where he played for the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 2007 to 2009 . 2007 season . As a freshman , Berry replaced fifth year senior Jarod Parrish after a strong showing in his first collegiate game against California . Berry turned in several big plays during his freshman season en route to being named the SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year by the " Sporting News " . His 222 return yards ( on five interceptions ) broke the 37 year - old Tennessee record by 43 yards . Berry led all SEC freshmen in tackles with 86 . He twice was named SEC Freshman of the Week for his play over the regular season ’ s final three games . After the season , he was also named 1st team Freshman All - American by Rivals . 2008 season . Prior to the season , despite being a sophomore , Berry was named a team captain . For the year , Berry tied for the national lead in interceptions with 7 and returned them for 265 yards and 2 touchdowns , breaking the record he set the year earlier . Combined with the yards he accumulated as a Freshman , Berry set the all - time career SEC record for interception return yards with 487 yards , only 14 yards shy of the NCAA record for interception return yards , set by Terrell Buckley during his time at Florida State . He also finished the regular season with 72 tackles , 6 pass break - ups and 3 sacks . Berry also took snaps on offense at quarterback and wide receiver , gaining 44 rushing yards on 7 carries . In addition , he gained 32 yards on 2 kick - off returns . His early success had some journalists speculating that he could end up being the best defensive player in Tennessee history . He was nominated as a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award , the Lott Trophy , and the Chuck Bednarik Award . Berry was named the SEC Defensive Player of the year and was a first - team All - SEC pick . He was also a unanimous first - team All American . The Touchdown Club of Columbus also named him their winner of the 2008 Jack Tatum Award as well . 2009 season . Following his junior season in 2009 , Berry was a first - team All - SEC selection , and was recognized as a unanimous first - team All - American for the second consecutive season . He won the Jim Thorpe Award and also was the recipient of The Touchdown Club of Columbus ' s Jack Tatum Award for the second straight year . He would forgo his last year of eligibility at the University of Tennessee and enter the NFL draft . Professional career . 2010 NFL Draft . Following Tennessee ' s 37 – 14 loss to Virginia Tech in the 2009 Chick - fil - A Bowl , Berry announced his decision to forgo his final year of college football eligibility , entering the 2010 NFL Draft . At the NFL combine , Berry officially ran a 4 . 47 40 - yard dash time . Berry was regarded as the highest touted safety since Sean Taylor , whom Berry idolized prior to Taylor ' s death , and was expected to be selected no lower than No . 7 , the Cleveland Browns pick . The Kansas City Chiefs selected Berry with the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft , making him the highest drafted defensive back since Taylor , and the highest drafted Tennessee Volunteer since Jamal Lewis . Berry selected number 29 as his jersey number in honor of former Tennessee defensive back standout Inky Johnson , whose career was cut short due to an injury and also as a tribute to his hometown Fairburn , GA and the main road Highway 29 . He and the Chiefs agreed to a six - year , $ 60 million contract on July 30 , 2010 making Berry the highest - paid safety in NFL history . Berry also signed a multi - year endorsement deal with Adidas . Kansas City Chiefs . In his first season , Berry started all 16 games and became the first Chiefs rookie to be selected to the Pro Bowl since linebacker great Derrick Thomas . Berry had a big impact on the team ' s defense , helping to improve it from 29th best unit in 2009 in terms of points allowed to 11th in 2010 , In addition to starting every game , Berry was on the field for almost half of Kansas City ' s special teams plays and was the only Chiefs defender to play every defensive snap . He led the team in interceptions ( 4 ) , and was second only to Derrick Johnson in tackles ( 92 ) and solo tackles ( 77 ) . On December 26 , 2010 , Berry scored his first NFL touchdown on a 54 - yard interception return against the Tennessee Titans . In his first playoff game , he recorded a career - high in solo tackles with 9 and passes defended with 4 . On September 11 , 2011 , Berry suffered a torn ACL , and was placed on injured reserve on September 14 , ending his season . Berry had surgery on September 29 , 2011 , and returned for the start of the 2012 NFL season . Berry has been named to three Pro Bowls , in 2010 , 2012 and 2013 . Personal life . Berry ' s father , James , played running back for the University of Tennessee from 1978 to 1981 , and was a captain of the 1981 squad . Berry ' s younger brothers , twins Elliott and Evan , have committed to play football at Tennessee , starting in the 2014 season . Berry suffers from Equinophobia , a fear of horses , frequently brought on by the team ' s mascot , Warpaint . This fear was brought on after a traumatizing childhood event at a petting zoo where a horse bit him while his back was turned . At the time , Berry also was under the impression that all live horses were akin to the My Little Pony children ' s toy , with " rainbows and stars flying behind them . " The traumatizing horse bite , along with his shattered expectations of what horses truly looked like , caused Berry to lose all faith in horse - kind . Berry ' s first thought after being bitten was , " Dang , horse . . . I trusted you . " He hopes to one day appreciate the gentle and graceful nature of all horses .