USC Pro Day Write Up: Part 3

by: Michael Steffes

Onwards I trek into part 3. Two things have become apparent to me so far in doing this. 1) Scouts do not get paid nearly enough. Can you imagine going to watch prospects, writing all this stuff down, and driving till you get to the next town....and then do this for 9 months straight. Crazy! I am already worn out from one!

2) You guys have a lot of specific questions. So I will follow this series with a specific answers to your questions post about the pro day. Not much to do till draft day anyway. So keep em' coming and I will take on that task tomorrow.

PART 3....

Dale Thompson, TE... Thompson is a tight end much bigger in stature than Davis. He seemed to have a bigger frame, but he still ran 4.8 and 4.67. He defintely was not a polished route runner, in my opinion. He also dropped a few balls. He could catch on somewhere if he blocks well. He was probably victim in part to the Trojans needing a TE that is in the mold of a WR because they didn't have any stud wideouts. Still, if he had been good enough, he would have seen the field.

Thomas Williams, LB... Thomas Williams was the surprise of the day to me. I didn't know who he was at the beginning of the day, but I do now. He was stuck behind 3 all American type linebackers. Thus he was forced to shine on special teams, so I am told, and he did. Today, after running a 4.7, he really shined in position drills. With only him and Rivers in the drills, there really wasn't that much seperation. Williams was big and well defined. He could turn his hips and run, and he showed good ball skills, catching everything chucked at him. Matt Cassel came out of USC with very little experience and landed a back up job right away. There is no reason Williams can't do the same.

Chilo Rachel, G.... Of all the linemen, it is obvious that Rachel has the highest upside. He didn't participate in any running except the 3 cone, which I thought he did well. No times though. He is more athletic than the others. He is also built like a house. He is so thick up top it is shocking. The one thing I saw was that he didn't seem to have the same balance that the others showed. While very large, the scout had little problem knocking him back when he had his hands behind his back. I think he could get better at this. But the best thing about him is that his athleticism would allow him to fit in most schemes.

Drew Radovich, G... Radovich fits in well with this line. When he and Spanos are next to each other they look like very similar players. Up close, Radovich is in far better shape, physically. Even though he didn't run, it was obvious he was a bit stiff. However, his footwork seemed very good. Little wasted movement. Also, he kept his balance very well. Radovich looks like he will make a pro roster and be a valuable guy to have around to me.

Lawerence Jackson, DE (Lo Jack)... Jackson looked very good to me. I could almost echo what I wrote about Sed Ellis. During the position drills, which was all he did, he was drawing ooohs and ahhs. He looked very quick in the handfighting drills and very explosive in the others. He was equally as powerful as Sed with the tackling dummies. After thinking about it, that is what makes Sed Ellis so amazing. He is almost 40 lbs heavier, and shorter than Lo Jack too, but they look equally as quick and explosive in drills. In the end, I think they will both be every down guys in the league.

Saving the best for last.... actually no..but close

John David Booty, QB... All Booty did was throw, but he threw pretty well. They had to bring in a bunch of underclassmen to run routes, due to no receivers being ready for the first time in a while. Anyway, the thing I like best about Booty is his cool demeanor. Not only does he look the part of a star QB, but he has a confidence that just ooozes from him. My guess is that is why he won a lot of games. Beyond that, he has the arm. He throws the post route on a rope. He was VERY VERY accurate. Even on deep balls. I really only saw him misfire on one ball real bad. It was a deep in route and the ball went way over the receivers head. That was actually something I saw him do a lot last season, just saying. Overall though he put the ball in the perfect spot most of the time. Here is what I saw from Booty that I didn't expect. He is a very mobile guy. He has great footwork, and they showcased him throwing on the run a lot and using the playfake some too. In each case he really moves through the pocket comfortably, and when rolling to his left or right, he moved really well, and was still accurate. I watched a lot of Henne for the last 4 years. I watched a lot of Booty the last two. They people who say Henne and Flaccco are two rounds better than this guy, well, I just don't see it. My guess is that Booty is a quality game managing type pro. Think Hasselbeck 05'. He needs weapons, but he would be a great pick in the 4th, and I wouldn't have said that until this week.

Yeeeeeehaw!!!!!!!!!! Thats the Pro Day for you folks. That is why I make the big bucks! Ha!! Anything else you want to know, ask away, and I will tell you what I can.