2022 NFL Draft Results: Minnesota Vikings select Andrew Booth Jr.

After using the first pick of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era on a safety, the Minnesota Vikings have gone back to the secondary well with their second selection in the 2022 NFL Draft after making a trade up with the Indianapolis Colts.

Andrew Booth Jr.

Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

Date of Birth: 28 September 2000 (21 years old)

College: Clemson University

Drafted: Round 2, #42 overall

Height: 6’

Weight: 200 pounds

Career accomplishments: First-Team All-ACC (2021), Second-Team All-ACC (2020)

Twitter handle: Does not appear to have one

With the 42nd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings have selected Andrew Booth Jr., the cornerback from Clemson University.

Even if 2022 was a down year for Clemson, it certainly wasn’t that for Andrew Booth Jr., who improved on his Second-Team All-ACC performance from 2020 by making the leap to the First Team in 2021. He led the Tigers in interceptions despite missing two games and provided lockdown coverage for Dabo Swinney’s club. He’s someone that should be able to step into the starting role opposite of Patrick Peterson for the Vikings immediately and make an impact.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Booth Jr. as the #4 cornerback in this year’s draft and the player on his Big Board. Here’s what Brugler has to say about Booth Jr.:

A two-year starter at Clemson, Booth was an outside cornerback in former defensive coordinator Brent Venables’ man and zone schemes, including bail and side-saddle techniques. A former five-star recruit, he blossomed over the last three years for the Tigers and had a strong junior season, including impressive tapes against the two SEC teams on the 2021 schedule (Georgia and South Carolina). Booth stays in phase because of his lower body quickness and hip-flip skills to mirror routes, staying coordinated in his transitions and in position to make plays on the ball. There is nothing finesse about his play style and he takes his contain responsibilities seriously in the run game, but his downhill aggressiveness makes his tackling an adventure. Overall, Booth’s tape has some volatility and he must mature his feel for spacing, but he has fluid athleticism, finds the football and disrupts the catch point, three important ingredients to playing the position at a high level. He has NFL starting traits (if he stays healthy) and projects best in a man-heavy scheme.

Welcome to Minnesota, Andrew Booth Jr.!