What the Vikings can expect from Andrew Booth Jr. and Ed Ingram
By Dean Jones
What to expect from Andrew Booth Jr.
It might not have been a first-round cornerback like in previous years. But the Minnesota Vikings rightfully addressed this position of need early in the 2022 NFL Draft by bringing Andrew Booth Jr. on board.
The former Clemson star was widely regarded as one of the best defensive backs entering the league this year. Minnesota also selected Lewis Cine in the first round, giving their secondary an injection of youth that is extremely welcome, to put it mildly.
Booth has had some injury concerns that perhaps caused his slide. However, there is no doubting his credentials when fit and firing on all cylinders.
It’s been a busy period of trade activity for the Vikings over the first two days.
The new regime is wasting no time in trying to stamp their own mark after so long with Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman running things a certain way. Booth’s arrival is another solid addition to a cornerback unit that was lacking some depth outside of Cameron Dantzler and Patrick Peterson.
Booth has the athleticism to potentially become an island cornerback at the next level with a little more refinement. He is agile, aware, and moves extremely well – traits that normally translate smoothly from college to the pros.
Another area where Booth excels is anticipating where the football is going. Not only this, but the prospect can only close down space quickly and has the ball skills to make plays in key moments – something that was prevalent throughout his time on the Clemson Tigers.
He wouldn’t be classed as the most physically imposing cornerback that’s ever entered the league. However, Booth more than makes up for this with length and has no trouble getting physical at the line of scrimmage or against the run.
There are some things Booth needs to work on when he arrives in Minnesota. The player tends to bite on a quarterback’s initial read and injury complications have also impacted his experience level and technical improvements.
With that being said, Booth looks like a nice fit on the Vikings and could be the long-term partner for Dantzler after the team took the decision to release former first-rounder Jeff Gladney.
Rookie cornerbacks do tend to struggle right out of the gate unless they are in the truly elite category. Booth might experience some growing pains, but there is a lot to like about his chances of going on to have a very productive professional career.
Falling out of the first round will have hurt.
There’s no getting away from that.
But if Booth can use this as motivation and stay clear of any further problems injury-wise, the Vikings might just have themselves a real steal when it’s all said and done.
After they traded down to allow their NFC North rivals an opportunity to take potentially elite wide receivers, finding the right cornerback to counteract this threat was essential. Thankfully, they recognized Booth’s skill set and gave the player a supreme vote of confidence by trading up to secure his services.
Something that Booth will no doubt look to start repaying at the earliest possible opportunity.