He’s been the darling of 2022 NFL Mock Drafts for a while now, but is Clemson CB Andrew Booth Jr. holding strong through the heart of the NFL Draft process? Let’s take a look at some recent mock drafts to see where Booth is winding up and where the talented prospect stands in a loaded cornerback class.
NFL Mock Draft 2022: PFN’s top consensus landing spots
Opinions are still fairly spread out regarding Clemson’s Booth, but he remains in high regard within the PFN Draft Team. Over the past few mocks, he’s been a consistent top-12 pick. He’s also a challenger for being the first CB off the board.
In his 4-Round 2022 NFL Mock Draft from February 26, PFN Draft Analyst Oliver Hodgkinson projected Booth to the Atlanta Falcons at eighth overall, uniting Booth with elite cover man A.J. Terrell. Booth and Terrell would immediately become one of the better duos in the league. Booth could feast on targets with Terrell locking down the other side.
PFN Draft Director Cam Mellor was even higher on Booth’s projection two days later in his First-Round 2022 NFL Mock Draft. He sent Booth to the New York Jets with the fourth overall pick. That may seem high for Booth. But the Jets’ cornerback room is barren outside of Bryce Hall. Adding a high-level athletic talent at the start of his developmental curve could yield major dividends down the road.
Lead NFL Analyst Dalton Miller was also high on Booth in his latest 2022 NFL Mock Draft, matching the Clemson cornerback with the Minnesota Vikings defense, where he’d play in Ed Donatell’s defense. However, Booth wasn’t the first CB off the board in Miller’s mock. He was the third, behind Derek Stingley Jr. and Ahmad Gardner.
Where does Andrew Booth Jr. land on other draft boards?
Booth is a contender for the CB1 mantle within PFN’s walls, but opinions vary on him throughout the draft community. Others view Booth as a potential blue-chip prospect. Yet, some high-profile minds are less bullish on his stock.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper is just one analyst who seems lower on Booth. In his most recent mock draft, Kiper had just four cornerbacks selected in the first round. Booth was not one of them. Instead, it was Gardner, Stingley, Trent McDuffie, and Kyler Gordon.
Kiper wasn’t the only one to drop Booth out. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah also left Booth out of Round 1 in his mock draft from late February. Jeremiah had the same four as Kiper and also selected Michigan’s Daxton Hill, who’s viewed as having cornerback capabilities.
Will Andrew Booth Jr.’s draft stock change after his NFL Combine performance?
Booth revealed that he tweaked his hamstring while training for the NFL Combine. Thus, he won’t be participating in testing, instead waiting for his pro day. Ideally, Booth will gain stock back when he tests at his pro day. He’s a stellar athlete on tape. Having said that, Booth could take a hit in the immediate timeline.
The 2022 NFL Draft cornerback class is filled with high-class athletes, several of which have received love in recent mock drafts. The two Washington cornerbacks — Gordon and McDuffie — are both quality players with eye-popping athleticism. Their testing could open the door for them to leapfrog Booth in the weeks to come. In addition, players like Kaiir Elam and Roger McCreary threaten Booth’s standing as well.
Those who are high on Booth — myself included — aren’t shy about addressing the upside factor. He’s an extremely twitchy, explosive athlete with great efficiency of motion. Furthermore, he has incredible vertical leaping ability and playmaking at the catch point.
Even so, a lot of Booth’s stock is admittedly predicated on projection. He has sky-high potential but has some work to do before he gets to that point. That’s likely why his draft stock is so polarizing, especially in a strong CB class.
For now, it’s out of Booth’s control. But if he’s healthy, his pro day will offer him a chance to reclaim some real estate on the first-round circuit.