What to know about Minnesota Vikings second-round pick, Clemson CB Andrew Booth
Former Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 42nd pick during the NFL Draft on Friday evening.
Booth was the first Tiger taken in this year’s draft class after a junior season where he had 39 tackles, three interceptions and five pass break-ups as an 11-game starter. While the Tigers’ three-year streak of having at least one first-round pick ended, Booth’s second-round selection marks the 20th straight year of the team having at least one player drafted. The trend began with current defensive tackles coach Nick Eason and former defensive end Bryant McNeal going 114th and 128th in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
“I don’t have too many words,” Booth said. “I’m just ready to play the game I love again at the highest level. ... I feel the best I’ve felt in a long time.”
Expected to be a first-round pick, the Georgia native slipped due to some concerns with his health. Booth suffered an injury while training for the NFL Combine, sat out of Clemson’s Pro Day due to the same injury and recently had sports hernia surgery. Booth understood the concerns some teams had but assured he’s ready to go.
I know that I’m more healthy than the guy that’s on tape that goes out in these meetings that everybody’s putting up,” Booth said of himself. “Ten times better than the cat on tape. It’s kind of like a bad feeling because I know what it is now. I know my health, where it’s going to be. It’s frustrating, but like I always say: I end up wherever I’m supposed to be, and I’m excited to be a Viking.”
Here are five things to know about Andrew Booth, Clemson’s latest player taken in the draft:
Tigers-turned-pro
In three of the past four years, Clemson has had a cornerback drafted. A.J. Terrell was a first-round pick taken by the Atlanta Falcons at No. 16 in 2020, while Trayvon Mullen went to the then-Oakland Raiders with the 40th pick the year before.
Both were able to make an impact in their respective rookie seasons. Mullen totaled 49 tackles with an interception over 16 games and Terrell had 71 tackles and a pick in 14 games played.
Twinning
Booth has a twin sister named Alicia, who is also an athlete. At Archer, Alicia was a quarterback and defensive back for the school’s flag football team and a trainer for the tackle football squad.
At one point, Alicia’s goal was to be a trainer at Clemson so the two could stay together in college. They’re the middle of eight Booth children with two of their older sisters, Andria and Alia, having been softball players at Gardner-Webb University.
Yogi in training?
During the 2021 fall camp, Booth said part of his offseason training included the implementation of yoga, which has become more popular among athletes. He found yoga videos on YouTube and would complete the exercises outdoors twice a week. Booth had struggled with injuries the season prior and hoped the new practice would help both his physical and mental well-being.
Booth only missed two games this season – Syracuse and UConn – but otherwise stayed healthy and had the eighth-most snaps played on the team with 581.
Former five-star recruit
Andrew Booth was a five-star recruit coming out of Archer High School. According to 247Sports, he was the No. 2 cornerback in the nation, the third-ranked cornerback and the No. 23 overall recruit in 2019. He had offers from schools like Alabama, Auburn and Michigan, but ultimately chose Clemson.
Playing at Clemson was a plus, according to senior football advisor Ryan Grigson. More than his background and athleticism, Booth’s passion for football also made him stand out.
“I feel like he really cares, and that comes through when you watch his play, and when the ball’s in the air, he’s going to attack it,” Grigson said of Booth, adding, “Another real encouraging this is if he does make a mistake, you can kind of pick out points in the film where he makes up for it, so he’s a really intense competitor.”
Cornerback duo
He and Mario Goodrich both earned all-ACC honors this season as the Tigers’ 1-2 cornerback punch. It marked the first time a school has put two cornerbacks on the all-conference first team since 1997. The two combined for five interceptions and 14 pass break-ups on the year.
Goodrich is also currently hoping to be drafted and has been pegged as a Day Three prospect.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 7:56 PM.
