Vikings draft Andrew Booth: Cornerback could be a steal if he can stay healthy
NFL Draft 2022 tracker: Are living site and select-by-decide examination
At extended very last and just after 3 distinctive trades in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Vikings bought a cornerback, filling a massive will need in the secondary.
After buying Lewis Cine with the No. 32 pick, the Vikings traded back again out of the No. 34 spot (in a go that permit the Packers soar up and draft huge receiver Christian Watson), then moved up to No. 42 to decide Clemson corner Andrew Booth.
That provides an inflow of expertise to a secondary that badly required it and will rely on Cine and Booth this season as rookies.
Draft grades: Sheil Kapadia weighs in on the picks
Massive board greatest out there: Who’s left from Dane Brugler’s Major 300?
Large board position: Booth was the No. 26 prospect and No. 3 cornerback according to Dane Brugler and was the No. 22 prospect on the consensus huge board. Scouts think there was a major fall-off between Booth and the following offered cornerback, which prompted the Vikings to shift up.
Introduction: From our Clemson writer Grace Raynor:
Booth designed headlines all through his freshman yr when he punched a Louisville participant on a distinctive groups enjoy and (head coach Dabo) Swinney punished him by generating him ride the bus dwelling with team university student administrators though the rest of the workforce flew on the Tigers’ airplane. Booth played just 65 non-distinctive team snaps as a freshman and clearly shed his neat on the play as a hugely touted recruit who needed time to alter to the higher education recreation. He apologized to Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield, by no means had an additional incident on the discipline and blossomed into a single of Clemson’s stars in 2021.
“The a person factor I can say about Andrew Booth is he’s one of the ideal young people today,” Swinney mentioned at the time. “If I had to checklist a person by way of 100 who was most likely to do anything like that, he would be at the base of the checklist.”
How he matches: The Vikings’ greatest need getting into the draft was at cornerback, somebody who could each participate in appropriate absent and serve as a extended-phrase alternative. The Vikings hope they have that in Booth.
He has prolonged arms (31.5 inches) and fits the portion of what the Vikings are on the lookout for in a Vic Fangio-type defense. He was not capable to do lots of exercise routines at the incorporate or his professional day owing to injuries (which is the No. 1 worry with him), but his collegiate tape displays an athletic go over corner.
From Brugler: “Booth’s tape has some volatility, and he need to mature his sense for spacing, but he has fluid athleticism, finds the soccer and disrupts the catch stage, three critical ingredients to enjoying the place at a substantial amount. He has NFL beginning traits (if he stays healthy) and initiatives finest in a male-major scheme.”
2nd guess? There are Vikings coaches who like quarterback Malik Willis and would like to function with him while Kirk Cousins stays the starter. That was undoubtedly an solution. But the Vikings’ far more urgent will need was at cornerback, which prompted the transfer up to get Booth. If there is a spot to second-guess Booth, it is mainly because of his accidents. He has undergone at least two surgeries in the very last 3 a long time and skipped online games thanks to two other injuries.
Rookie impression: Booth enters a terrific circumstance if he can remain healthy. He’ll have a prospect to master from veteran Patrick Peterson, the team’s top corner, although competing with Cam Dantzler for the beginning job reverse Peterson.
If Booth is prepared and healthy, he could be a working day-a person starter for the Vikings. If not, he’ll get a probability to discover a common and prosperous NFL defense whilst ready his likelihood. But Dantzler has been injury vulnerable, so Booth will likely get lots of enjoying time at some point, even if he does not gain a instruction camp level of competition for a starting off career.
Depth-chart impact: For now, Booth slots in as the No. 3 cornerback on the Vikings at the rear of Peterson and Dantzler. But he’ll have a possibility to conquer out Dantzler in instruction camp.
Quick analysis: The Vikings necessary to make absolutely sure they obtained a cornerback on Working day 2 of the draft just after finding a safety on Day 1, and they got the previous corner right before a drop-off in expertise at the position. Blended with Cine, the picks signify a makeover on the back stop of the Vikings defense that must have new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell excited. After the Vikings’ two trade backs gave their division rivals extensive receivers, the Vikings definitely hope Booth can address Watson and Jameson Williams.
(Photograph courtesy of Clemson athletics)