KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Two Tennessee VFLs in safety Eric Berry and return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson have been tabbed to the prestigious NFL All-Decade Team for the 2010s, the league office announced.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 48-member selection committee chose the squad in conjunction with the NFL.
Berry, who was one of three safeties on the squad, racked up 14 interceptions during the decade as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. He was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, three-first first-team All-Pro recipient, and he was named the 2015 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Berry, a native of Fairburn, Ga., was selected fifth overall by the Chiefs in the 2010 NFL Draft after a decorated career in Knoxville where he was a two-time unanimous All-American and two-time first-team All-SEC selection. He captured the Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back in 2009, a season in which he recorded 87 total tackles and two picks.
Patterson is a three-time Pro Bowl honoree and a three-time first-team All-Pro selection during his NFL career. Patterson helped the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl title in 2018 before signing a contract with the Chicago Bears in 2019. He finished the year with the NFL’s most kick return yards (825), while his yards per return (29.5) led the NFC and ranked second in the league.
Patterson spent one season with the Vols in 2012 and was a dynamic All-SEC playmaker, accumulating 10 total touchdowns and racking up a school single-season record 1,858 all-purpose yards. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
UT Athletics
