Nat Berhe

Berhe was born in Fontana, California, and attended Colton High School. His mother, Judy, is African American; his father, Berhe Asfaha, emigrated from the Province of Eritrea in Ethiopia in 1970. During his youth, his family owned a gas station. Berhe played two years of varsity football as a defensive back and running back and also lettered twice in track and field. He was also a member of the honor society. During his senior year, he was named a team captain for the Colton Yellow Jackets. Additionally that year he had 47 tackles, one interception, and 32 rushes for 182 yards. His best game of the year came against Cajon High, where he recorded 11 tackles (four assisted). His efforts in his senior year earned him a spot on the All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) defensive team. ==College career==

Recruiting Berhe was ranked as the 47th best safety in the state of California, and the 83rd best player overall in the state by Rivals.com. He measured in at five-foot-eleven inches, weighed 160 pounds, and had a 2.9 grade point average. Berhe recorded the first interception of his college career against Utah State, and returned it 10 yards down the field. He made his first start against then 23rd-ranked Air Force and helped the Aztecs pull out an upset victory. He missed the game against Wyoming due to a concussion. In the Louisiana-Lafayette loss in the New Orleans Bowl, he had a team- and career-high 10 tackles. In what would be his final year for the Aztecs, Berhe was named team captain. He had seven tackles (1 for a loss) and a fumble recovery against Northern Illinois, and had another fumble recovery against Oregon State. When the Aztecs went against Air Force, he had 14 tackles (7 solo), the most by any player on the team since his game against Wyoming. He got his first career sack against New Mexico. Later in the year, in a game against San Jose State, he returned a blocked kick 56 yards in the fourth quarter. He finished the year with a career-high 99 tackles, 60 of which were solo. and also tied for the top spot on the team with two fumble recoveries. At the end of the year, he was chosen as a 1st-team All-Mountain West honoree as voted on by the league coaches and media. Berhe finished his college career by playing in 51 games with 41 starts, 299 tackles (197 solo), one sack, 12 tackles for losses, a force fumble, 4 recoveries, 5 interceptions, and 20 defended passes. ==Professional career==

Pre-draft Berhe was projected to be drafted in the fourth or fifth round of the draft. Nolan Nawocki of NFL.com said that he was an "instinctive defender" who reacted quickly with great pursuit. He also complimented Berhe on playing fast and having great body control, and on being an "aggressive tackler" with a great passion for the game, as well as a "very likable personality". Nawocki was less fond of Berhe's size, considering it more appropriate for a cornerback than a safety, stating that he could stand to bulk up physically. He agreed that Berhe didn't have ideal size, and that his speed wasn't impressive. making him the first Eritrean-American player to be drafted into the NFL. After Berhe's first preseason game versus the Buffalo Bills, in which he recorded three tackles and a forced fumble, Giants safeties coach David Merritt gave Berhe the nickname "The Missile". Berhe stated that he had been learning from the veterans on the roster, mainly Quintin Demps, and stated that Antrel Rolle was the leader of the Giants defense. On September 5, 2015, Berhe's 2015 season came to an end when he was officially placed on injured reserve by the Giants. He had missed most of training camp due to a calf injury that required surgery to remove a blood clot. Pittsburgh Steelers On April 4, 2018, Berhe signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. ==Personal life==

He is the first player with Eritrean descent (through his father) drafted into the NFL, and is also the cousin of former Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith. ==References==