Andrew Booth, Mario Goodrich 'Will Bring Clemson' to NFL Teams

CLEMSON, S.C. — The thing Mike Reed will miss the most about Andrew Booth and Mario Goodrich might surprise you.

“I’m going to miss Mr. Booth and Mrs. Booth. Mario’s family. Calling them when their son is missing class or late for tutoring. You know, those conversations right there,” Clemson’s cornerbacks coach said with a chuckle after Monday’s practice at the Poe Indoor Practice Facility. “You know, ‘Why is my son not playing much?’ ‘Did you talk to your son?’

“So, I am going to miss those conversations. I am happy for them.”

He is also going to miss the players, as Booth and Goodrich continue to chase their dreams of playing in the NFL at Clemson’s Annual Pro Day on Thursday. Hundreds of people, made up of NFL coaches, scouts and general managers, will be on hand to watch the two cornerbacks perform.

Clemson will also have former wide receiver Justyn Ross and linebackers Baylon Spector and James Skalski performing in front of all 32 teams.

“You love it, and you hate it. It is like your kids leaving the nest,” Reed said. “You don’t want them to leave. Anybody who is a mother or a father, when your kids are leaving, you don’t want them to leave. You are like, ‘Nah, stay here with me.’ But it is also gratifying to see them come in as freshmen and write down goals and see those goals come to fruition.

“When they tell you as a freshman they want to play in the NFL, and for that dream to come true, you are like, ‘Man!’ You are happy for them. You are happy for the family.”

Booth and Goodrich earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2021, becoming the first pair of cornerbacks from a single school to sweep first-team honors since North Carolina’s Dre Bly and Robert Williams in 1997.

Booth is a first-round projection by many, while Goodrich is projected to be a Day 3 selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.

“You are getting guys that are winners. That know how to work. That are selfless. That are good teammates. You know, guys that are accountable. Guys that have faced some adversity and overcame a lot of things,” Reed said. “That is what you are going to get. They are going to bring Clemson to wherever they go, to every locker room they go to.”  

Booth's odds of being the first corner taken in the draft currently sit at +500 according to Fanduel.