NFL Draft Preview: Andrew Booth Jr. Looks to Continue Corner Success

Andrew Booth, the Tigers’ First-Team All-CC cornerback from last season, is a consensus Day 1 pick according to 10 major draft analysts.

Booth Jr. is a highlight-reel athletic corner who departed for the NFL Draft after his junior season after recording 75 tackles (5.5 for loss), 10 pass breakups, five interceptions, a sack and a fumble recovery (which he returned 21 yards for a touchdown) in 981 defensive snaps over 35 career games (15 starts) from 2019-21.

Analysis from NFL Draft Bible:

Pros:

Twitchy athlete who brings a compact frame and long limbs to the cornerback position. Energy jumps off the tape with his effort and urgency he plays with. Plays with savvy pre-snap, doing his best to disguise his alignments and not give the quarterback an indicator. Excellent feel for playing press bail where he matches the tempo of the receiver so that he can still be aggressive on underneath routes. Makes a conscious effort to keep his front shoulder down while in a crossover run, allowing him to play with balance out of his breaks and stay low. Exhibits good long speed to carry receivers vertically on a consistent basis. Very good fluidity to flip his hips and stay in phase with receivers, showing noticeable acceleration to burst when needing to turn and run. An easy mover who displays excellent short area quickness driving downhill on throws, plays with clean footwork when planting out of his breaks. Superb ball skills to track the football and highpoint with soft hands, is a consistent competitor at the catch point. Loves to be a part of the run game, showing urgency to come up and be an efficient tackler on ball carriers of all sizes due to his strong frame and long arms aiding his tackling radius.

Cons:

Inexperience shows up on tape as his energy can be a detriment at times causing his eye discipline to be all over the place. Has a bad habit of looking at the quarterback in man coverage and allowing receivers to climb on his toes, forcing him to be a step behind when he transitions. Lack of press coverage reps shows up in his willingness to give receivers too much space off the line of scrimmage instead of using his quick feet to mirror receivers laterally or use his length to force receivers to run around him.

Summary:

Well put-together cornerback with top-tier athletic abilities that NFL teams will covet at the top of the draft. Inexperience causes him to rely too often on his athleticism which will get him burned at the next level. A supremely gifted athlete with high energy and superb ball skills, his best football is still ahead of him. Will take over his first full year as a starter next fall which will come with high expectations. Limited games show a player who can be one of the NFL’s elite cornerbacks and will certainly warrant a first-round pick if he builds on last season.

Background:

Raised in Dacula, Georgia. A five-star recruit according to 247Sports. Standout return man in high school. Communication major. Academic standout.

One-Liners

Supremely gifted athlete with high energy and superb ball skills, his best football is still ahead of him. Limited games show a player who can be one of the NFL’s elite cornerbacks and will certainly warrant a first-round pick if he builds on last season.

Grades

Current Player Value/Potential Player Value

8.2/9.2

Want to join in on the discussion? 100% FREE! Interact with fellow Tiger fans and hear directly from publisher Zach Lentz, deputy editor Brad Senkiw, recruiting analyst Jason Priester and staff writer Will Vandervort on any subject. Click here to become a member of the ALL CLEMSON message board community today!