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 NCAA Scouting – Player Profile:
John David Booty, QB
by Jody Jamieson
2/4/2008
John David Booty comes from a USC system that has produced Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart in the last five years and will look to continue the tradition of NFL ready QBs coming out of Southern California. While there is no chance he will be drafted as high as Palmer and Leinart (Carson was selected #1 overall in ’03, while Leinart was taken 10th in ’06) he will be an interesting pick. He will more than likely be taken on Day 2, and if I was projecting this year’s draft, I’d probably slot him in the middle of round 3.
 In a time when there seems to be a real lack of talent at the quarterback position, it gives guys a chance to start in the NFL if they show enough to their coaches. Probably over half of the league is not quite as settled under centre as they would like to be, and with no real franchise quarterbacks to go in round 1 this year with the exception perhaps of Matt Ryan from Boston College, many teams will look to add a signal caller later on in the draft. Booty will get his shot in the pros. It’s up to him whether he can take it or not.
What we like about Booty
From a systems standpoint, USC plays a very NFL-like West Coast Offense, so will probably find the transition to the pros a little easier than most young quarterbacks. Booty has good accuracy on his throws and is not scared to release it before his receivers make their break. Shows great maturity in the pocket and probably won’t be fazed by the pass rush. Has shown this in his two Rose Bowl appearances and is not likely to be affected by the pressure of the big game.
Question Marks about Booty
J.D. has a good, but not great arm. Could really do to add a bit more zip to his release at the pro level. Won’t escape out of the pocket too much as he lacks speed and athleticism. There are slight concerns about his durability. Booty suffered a broken finger in a loss to Stanford in his Senior season and missed a few games. He also redshirted in 2004 due to an elbow injury and herniated a disk in ’06.
Highlight of his college career
Booty is 2-0 in Bowl Games. USC defeated Michigan 32-18 in 2007 with Booty throwing 4 touchdowns. This past January, Booty threw 3 TD passes as USC destroyed Illinois 49-17.
Other Snippets
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Various combine stats: 4.82 sec 40 yard dash, 22.5 in vertical jump, 4.58 sec 20 yard shuffle.
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Has a family history in the game. Father Johnny played QB at Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State and Arkansas. His brother Josh was a career backup QB with the Cleveland Browns and another brother Abram player WR at LSU. Can J.D. succeed where others in his family haven’t and establish themselves in the NFL?
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Teams like the Chiefs, Jets and Baltimore with QB problems may look at someone like Booty if they pass on Matt Ryan.
Video Footage Of Booty:
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