CLEMSON, S.C. — It took a little longer than he had thought, but Andrew Booth’s dream of becoming an NFL player finally came true Friday night.
The Minnesota Vikings took the former Clemson cornerback in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the No. 42 overall pick. As expected, Booth was the first Clemson player selected in the draft.
Many felt Booth would have been a first-round pick, but the All-ACC corner fell in the draft due to a hernia surgery he had following the Tigers’ Cheez-It Bowl victory over Iowa State in December.
The Vikings said the injury was not an issue for them.
“It looks like he should have a fine recovery,” said Minnesota’s Senior Football Advisor, Ryan Grigson. “A lot of guys get the same surgery and always have positive results. Same surgeon and all that kind of stuff. He is going to be fine. He is a tough, tough kid.”
The Vikings had earlier traded their No. 34 pick to the Green Bay Packers for picks No. 53 and 59 in the draft. But when three other corners came off the board, Minnesota found a way to move back up the draft, trading away their Green Bay picks to Indianapolis for the No. 42 and 122 picks.
“He was the guy we wanted, and it was nice,” Grigson said. “The group was able to maneuver and work the board and get trade value and move back into the pick when we found our target.”
Booth played a big role in the Tigers’ secondary the last two seasons. In 2021, he earned First-Team All-ACC honors after leading the team with three interceptions, breaking up five passes and recording 39 tackles.
