John David Booty, 2008 NFL Draft Scouting Report
 | Quarterback 6' 3" 210 lbs. USC Senior |
John David Booty is the quarterback for the University of Southern California, and he might even win a National Championship and the Heisman Trophy, but make no mistake, Booty is not Matt Leinart and he certainly isn’t Carson Palmer, but I am not saying he is former USC and NFL bust Todd Marinovich either, Booty will get selected in the 2008 NFL Draft, but it probably won’t be in the first round. He looks like a 2nd or maybe even a 3rd round selection to me. He just doesn’t look to have the accuracy or athletic ability that you want in a first round selection.
Booty definitely has the pedigree and statistics to be a first round NFL Draft Selection, Booty graduated from Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport (La), as a high school junior after winning back to back Class 5A State Football Titles. His two years as a high school quarterback he threw for over 8,400 yards and 88 touchdowns. His father, Johnny, played quarterback for Arkansas, Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State, and then coached football at Evangel Christian and brother, Josh, was a part time quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.
After signing with USC in 2003 as a true freshman, he was #2 on the depth chart by mid season. He saw limited action and broke his left wrist against UCLA which sidelined him for the last two games.
In 2004 as a sophomore, he suffered a seriously bruised right throwing elbow in practice right before the season so he decided to take a medical redshirt to let it heal.
In 2005 as a red-shirt sophomore Booty was the #2 quarterback behind Matt Leinart and played sparingly in 10 games. Booty completed 27 of his 42 pass attempts with an impressive 64.3 completion percentage. He finished with 327 yards, 3 TDs and 2 interceptions.
Last year as a full time junior starter, Booty showed the nation that he was ready to become the next great USC quarterback. Booty looked poised leading the Trojans throwing for 3,347 yards, 29 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions. His 61.7 completion percentage is impressive indeed. I like how Booty finished strong in the 2006 post season, sometimes that success can carry over into the next season. He torched a talented Michigan team in the Rose Bowl for 391 yards and 4 touchdowns. Despite playing full time only two years he is on track to finish in the top five in school history in passing and total offense.
I think Booty is an excellent NFL Prospect and he could climb into the first round with a strong senior season, but entering the 2007 football season I have him in my player rankings a little lower that some of the other elite quarterbacks.
2007 Pre-Season Major Accolades:
- Athlon Sports 1st Team All-American
- Sporting News 1st Team All-American
- Lindy's 1st Team All-PAC Ten
- Phil Steel's 2nd Team All-American