Andrew Booth Scouting Report: 2022 NFL Draft Player Profile
Clemson, CB, #23
Measurements
6’0” / 200 lbs.
40 time: 4.45 (Estimate)
Andrew Booth Player Profile
Andrew Booth Jr. is a former 5-star recruit out of Archer High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Coming out of high school, Booth was ranked as the number two corner behind Derek Stingley Jr. During his time at Archer High School, Booth played as a corner, wide receiver and kickoff and punt returner. Not only did he play many different positions, he was effective in all of them. Booth’s senior year was when he proved that he was worthy of having 5-star status. On defense, he had a total of 16 tackles (12 solo) and 2 interceptions. These stats don’t really show how talented he was his senior season. Meanwhile on the opposite side of the ball, Booth racked up a total of 14 receptions for 358 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Fast-forward to his sophomore year at Clemson, he had a very productive year on paper. When looking at his stats, I couldn’t help but be impressed. He racked up a total of 27 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions and 4 pass defenses. Although this season was very productive, it was nothing in comparison to his 2021 season. So far this year, Booth has racked up a total of 35 tackles, 3 interceptions and 5 pass defenses.
Andrew Booth Strengths
Reading QB’s Eyes
Clemson CB Andrew Booth
Andrew Booth is one of the top corners in the nation when it comes to reading the quarterback’s eyes. Booth does a fantastic job of anticipating when the ball is going to be thrown in his direction. If you want to watch a game where he does a fantastic job of this, I recommend you watch the game against South Carolina. In this game, he had two interceptions, with a dropped interception in the first quarter. One of the interceptions came with about four minutes left in the 1st quarter. Booth looked to be in zone coverage, read the QB’s eyes, then anticipate where the ball was going to be and make the interception. Having this ability going into the NFL is very important if you want to be successful.
Awareness
Booth’s awareness is a big reason why he is a top corner in the 2022 NFL draft class. When watching film throughout the 2021 season, I realized that Clemson plays a lot of zone. Booth’s awareness in zone coverage is incredible. When a receiver steps foot in his zone he is immediately closed down upon. Not only is his awareness incredible in zone, he does a fantastic job of keeping his eyes on the QB. These abilities are essential to being successful in the NFL, because you have to be aware of everything when you are on the field. This is especially the case in today’s NFL because receivers do a fantastic job of finding holes in zone coverage. With this being said, if you are aware of where all of the receivers are on the field, you can help with coverage.
Hands
In high school, Booth played both cornerback and wide receiver. Although he only had a total of 25 receptions for 585 yards, this still paved the way for his success. Being able to develop his hands in high school helped him in college and will help him in the NFL. Having good hands at the cornerback position could be make or break to your team’s success. This is the case because if a corner cannot make a catch, the opposing QB won’t be scared to throw in his direction. Meanwhile, if you are able to make a play on the ball when it is thrown in your direction, you eliminate part of their offense.
Andrew Booth Weaknesses
Press Coverage
As I noted earlier, Booth is very talented in zone coverage. When watching his film throughout the 2021 season, I rarely saw him lined up in press coverage. One game that stands out to me in particular is Clemson’s game against NC State. In this game, a majority of the snaps that Booth played he was in soft coverage. This is not saying that Booth isn’t good in press coverage, he just currently plays in a system that rarely utilizes press coverage. Not being familiar with press coverage can get you in trouble in the NFL. Wide receivers in the NFL are very good at punishing corners who play soft coverage. Booth has a good chance of being a top corner in the NFL one day. In order to make that a guarantee, he should get comfortable in press coverage.
Clemson CB Andrew Booth
Andrew Booth Draft Stock
The cornerback position in the 2022 NFL Draft is very front loaded with players who can go in the 1st round. Some of these players include Derek Stingley Jr., Kaiir Elam, Ahmad Gardner and himself. Given that he is a first round talent, now it is time to talk about where I think he will go. Personally, I think that Booth will go towards the end of the 1st round and potentially fall to the second round. A team that I think would be a perfect fit for Booth is the Tennessee Titans. Even though they drafted Farley last year, I like the idea of developing a young core in the secondary.
Final Thoughts
Andrew Booth has a very bright future in the NFL. His ability to play both zone and man coverage is what makes him a top 5 corner in this draft class. He is also an explosive athlete who can compete with most wide receivers in the NFL now. As I noted earlier, I think that he would best fit with a team like the Titans. If he does not go to the Titans, he should go to a team who has a very versatile defense.
Andrew Booth NFL Player Comparison
Booth’s ability to stick to a defender like glue reminds me of a player I am very familiar with. This player is Jaire Alexander. I am not saying that Booth will be as good as Alexander out of the gate, but his play style is very similar.
Andrew Booth Scotuing Report by Matthew Lewis.
