Clemson's Andrew Booth gets selected in second round of NFL draft

CLEMSON — Andrew Booth Jr. was one of the top available players on the board entering Day 2 of the NFL draft.

It didn’t take long for the former Clemson star to hear his name called Friday night.

Booth was drafted in the second round, No. 42 overall by the Minnesota Vikings.

Booth was projected to be a first-round pick but slipped to the second round, possibly due to an injury that kept him from taking part in all of his on-field workouts prior to the draft.

While Booth might not have been a first-round pick, the Vikings are getting a first-round talent.

The Atlanta native had an exceptional career at Clemson, earning first-team All-ACC honors this past season.

He has good size for a cornerback at 6-0, 200 pounds. He’s also fast, athletic and has great ball skills — everything you look for in a cornerback.

Booth is the first Clemson player to be drafted in 2022, but he won’t be the last. Justyn Ross, Mario Goodrich and possibly others should hear their names called over the next couple of days as well.

The second and third rounds of the draft are being held Friday night, with rounds four through seven set for Saturday.

What did Booth do at Clemson?

Andrew Booth signed with Clemson for the class of 2019 as a five-star recruit who was one of the top cornerbacks in the country.

He played in 13 games as a freshman, finishing with six tackles and a pass break up.

As a sophomore in 2020, Booth appeared in 11 games, with four starts. He made several highlight plays and finished with 30 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions.

Heading into his junior season, the challenge for Booth was to get more consistent. It’s safe to say he did that.

The Georgia native was one of the best cornerbacks in the country and chose to turn pro early after his strong junior season.