Booth really impressed me when I took in a Cleveland practice earlier this spring, and I like his versatility on the back end. He can play either safety spot and offers a nice blend of ball skills and tackling ability. While he’s technically-sound, the athleticism is the upside here, as he can run in the 4.6s and has excellent explosive and jumping numbers as well.

The coaches at Cleveland are high on Booth and after a 77-tackle season as a junior, it’s easy to see why. There are bigger names elsewhere on the Cleveland defense but it’s hard to find a more steady, consistent defensive presence. He doesn’t make many mistakes and always seems to be in the perfect position to make a play, both as a tackler and when the ball is in the air.

Booth had a breakout season as a junior and to be honest, we just whiffed on promoting him to the rankings in the January update. That will get fixed in the next update as his 77 tackles from his safety position are impressive. Booth has good instincts and quickness and isn’t afraid to hit people, a trait that befits a strong safety.

With 57 Tackles and 2 Interceptions for a very good Cleveland program, I wanted to add Josh to our Watch List because these are the kind of players that can really add to that production going into their senior year. With his size, Josh can continue to grow and add to his frame and not lose any speed or athleticism. Josh has had some recruiting attention from several schools, and I’m sure they love the same things I do – Josh’s ability to tackle in the open field, and his ball skills in pass coverage. His highlight film is a fun watch!