Prospect Profile: CB Andrew Booth Jr.

College Performance  

Andrew Booth Jr., cornerback from Clemson, is declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft after his junior season. Booth Jr. is 6’0’’ and weighs in at 194 pounds. He has a big frame for a corner and has a physical style of play for his position, and he plays the ball very well when it’s in the air.  

Booth Jr. is a very good tackler and can break away from receivers’ blocks to make the big play behind the line of scrimmage or only let up short yardage. Booth is a guy who can close the distance he has with any runner in a short period of time and can make up a lot of ground.

He played 11 games in the 2021 college football season as the starter for Clemson and had 37 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 5 pass breakups.  

ESPN’s Todd McShay has Booth Jr. heading to the Bills at pick No. 25 in his latest mock draft (April 5).

Here is one of his highlight plays, an insane one-handed interception against Virginia Cavaliers’ 6’7’’ wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr. in 2020.

The Bills’ Situation  

The Buffalo Bills, currently sitting at No. 25 in the 2022 NFL Draft, have a hole they need to fill at cornerback. The Bills’ No. 1 corner Tre’Davious White got injured (torn ACL) last season in week 12 against the Saints, and his absence has been very noticeable. The secondary hasn’t been the same since White’s injury. They were forced to start Levi Wallace at cornerback one and put in second-year player Dane Jackson at cornerback two. Both played decently well and held their own for the most part but they weren’t able to get the job done. This offseason Wallace signed to the Steelers, which now leaves White (coming off injury) and Jackson at cornerback. It’s a position of need.

Andrew Booth Jr. upsides  

Andrew Booth Jr. has the frame of a first-round pick. He shines on tackling and breaking off of blocks, and also shines in pass coverage, specifically with ball skills. He has very good hip rotation and that shows on about every down.  

Andrew Booth Jr. downsides 

Booth Jr. might be a little too aggressive on pass coverage. He may struggle in man coverage against small shifty receivers. He needs to work on attacking with his feet to force receivers in a way that knock them off of their route. A good sign, however, is that he makes up for that with elite size and ability to track the ball, as you see here: