Clemson’s Andrew Booth is a Consensus NFL First-Round Pick

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CLEMSON, S.C. — With the 2022 NFL Draft a week away, it appears one former Clemson star is likely to have his name called out in the first round.

Andrew Booth, the Tigers’ First-Team All-CC cornerback from last season, is a consensus Day 1 pick according to 10 major draft analysts. Seven of the 10 mock drafts have Booth selected in the first round, with the Sporting News having him picked as high as No. 12 overall by the Minnesota Vikings.

Booth will likely be the only former Clemson player selected in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.

Charles Davis of the NFL Network has Booth going No. 21 overall to the New England Patriots. Pro Football Focus and ESPN’s Todd McShay have him going No. 25 to the Buffalo Bills.

“The more you watch him on tape, the more you like what you see,” Davis said. “The Pats have lost Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson over the last two years, so this Clemson Tiger will be drafted to play right now.”

Rhett Lewis, also from the NFL Network, has the former Clemson star going No. 27 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while McShay’s partner at ESPN, Mel Kiper, has Booth at No. 29 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Buffalo needs cornerback help and Booth is a physical corner who can fit perfectly into that defense and bring a very high ceiling to the table — even if he needs a little work to get there,” Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson said. “Booth has elite footwork but just one year as a full-time starter while posting some ugly losses in that season. Booth is a pick long on potential, but one who could become good in a hurry given the tools he has at his disposal.”

In a combined Mock Draft, Kiper and McShay took Booth at No. 25.

If Booth is picked in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, he will become the ninth former Clemson Tiger in the last 10 years to be selected in the first round of an NFL Draft. That will continue the best stretch in Clemson history.

It will also be the fourth straight year a Clemson player was taken in the first round, marking just the second time that has happened in the program’s history. A former Tiger was picked in the first round for five straight years from 2013-’17.

No other Clemson player is expected to be taken in the first round next Thursday. However, cornerback Mario Goodrich and linebacker Baylon Spector could be drafted in the later rounds, as well as former safety Nolan Turner.