One of the better press corners coming into the 2022 NFL Draft is highly-regarded defensive back Andrew Booth out of Clemson. Coming into Indianapolis for the 2022 NFL Combine, Booth had a real chance to help his draft stock in a class that’s quite deep with no real clear winner for the first one off the board. Instead he suffered a quad injury this spring that kept him from being able to perform.
Booth will not be able to perform any drills at this year’s combine but NFL reporter Ian Rapoport notes that he should be okay long-term and that his quad injury is not considered to be serious.
Clemson will still have their pro day on March 17, which gives Booth only another week and some change to get better. As Rapoport notes in a recent update, even then, no one is certain how much to expect from Booth. However, healing from the quad injury is his primary concern.
Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth is a corner who could fall to the Chiefs, and fortunately his quad injury isn’t considered serious from the NFL Combine.
Last season for the Tigers defense, Booth had 5 passes deflected and 3 interceptions. He had 4 passes deflected and 2 interceptions the year prior, showing a decent knack for making plays on the ball. He’s also a tremendous all-around athlete with all the tools to be a CB1 at the next level as long as develops with more reps.
Some draft experts have Booth as one of the best overall prospects who could potentially land in the top 10. However, both Mel Kiper Jr. and Daniel Jeremiah have left Booth out of the first round entirely in recent mock drafts. In short, Booth has high-end talent, but there’s no reason for the Chiefs to believe they are without a shot here.
As for the Chiefs, they face a future potentially without Charvarius Ward and a real need for more talent and depth at cornerback. L’Jarius Sneed, Deandre Baker, and Rashad Fenton are the only known quantities back next year and Chris Lammons is in legal trouble. In addition, Mike Hughes is also a free agent.