Ian Book NFL Draft Overview
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 210 lbs.
School: Notre Dame
2021 NFL Draft: Ian Book Player Profile
Ian Book is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks to ever play for Notre Dame. All told, Book was a three-year starter and compiled a 33-5 record (school’s winningest quarterback by percentage) as he led the Fighting Irish to two college football playoff appearances, an ACC championship game appearance and a 2019 Camping World Bowl appearance. It’s not a bad resume for a prospect who was considered an after-thought by most college recruiters.
In his senior season, Book excelled as an effective passer in an offense that was not designed to produce 300-yard passing games. His athleticism allowed him to improvise enough to throw a tight spiral downfield for a reception. It was the perfect complement to Notre Dame’s rushing attack as Book could make plays on his own to keep the chains moving. He did enough on the football field to improved his stock as an NFL quarterback prospect.
Book was a three-year starter at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, California, which is located in the suburbs of Sacramento. He drew interest from several Mountain West Conference (Boise State, Nevada, San Diego State and San Jose State) programs before finally accepting a scholarship offer from Washington State head coach Mike Leach. However, once Notre Dame showed interest in the dual-threat quarterback, Book quickly de-committed to sign with the Fighting Irish.
At the start of his collegiate career, Book was redshirted for his freshman season. In 2017, the young quarterback earned the backup role to starter Brandon Wimbush as he saw limited action in seven games. Book threw for 456 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. He opened some eyes on the Irish coaching staff and earned a chance to compete for the starting position in spring practice. The following season, Wimbush won the competition and remained the team’s starter, but his term was very short-lived as Book soon replaced him in the lineup.
In his first start, Book threw for 325 yards with two touchdown passes and scored three rushing touchdowns in a 56-27 road win over Wake Forest. His critics felt he was a stopgap choice who was keeping the quarterback position warm for a more-heralded quarterback recruit. But Book just kept making plays and winning games, which forced Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly to keep him in the lineup. In his career at Notre Dame, Book threw for 8,948 yards, 72 touchdowns and 20 interceptions with a 63.8 pass completion percentage. And do not discount his ability to run out of the pocket on design plays. Book rushed for 1,517 yards on 362 carries with 17 rushing touchdowns. He averaged a little over four yards-per-carry. Book was a very productive college quarterback, but his skill-set does have limitations that will be exposed at the professional level.
Strengths
- Extends a play;
- Good decision-maker;
- Accurate passer in short and intermediate range;
- Very patient to let a play develop;
- Protects the football;
- Agile enough to become a legitimate runner.
Weaknesses
- Poor pocket awareness;
- Lacks arm strength;
- Undersized pocket stature;
- Holds the football too long;
- Hesitant to throw deep.
NFL Comparison: Trace McSorely
Teams With Need at Position: New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks
Projection: Fifth Round
Bottom Line on Ian Book
At the moment, the best projection for Book is as an NFL backup quarterback. Despite all of the accolades, Book’s talents does have a ceiling. Teams who are interested in drafting him will have issues with his arm strength. On passing attempts over 20-plus yards, Book was only 49-104 (47 percent completion rate) over the last two seasons. The numbers show his deep throws are too inconsistent and often resulted in an incompletion. This will eliminate franchises who have a vertical passing attack as they will look elsewhere for a backup quarterback candidate.
However, most NFL teams love quarterbacks who can extend a play with their legs. Book has shown the ability to be nimble and elusive in the pocket. It confirms that he can think fast on his feet and move if the protection breaks down.
It will be hard for Book to change the opinion of him before next April’s draft. In the end, he might work best as a backup quarterback who will not limit the offense play calling if called upon to replace the starter.
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