David Levine
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ANALYST'S REPORTS
Andrew Booth Jr. came to Clemson with a 5-star recruiting status and as an academic standout. His contributions to the program met expectations. He offers an exciting blend of size, athleticism, instincts, physicality, ball skills, and competitive toughness that give him the makeup of an impact starter at the next level. He is a fiery competitor on the field that plays with an alpha mentality. When it comes to areas of growth, Booth Jr. can clean up some missed tackles and improve in zone coverage. While he’s never passive as a tackler, there are instances where he leaves his feet with too much distance between himself and the ball-carrier or isn’t under enough control to finish. In zone coverage, he can do a better job of squeezing routes and coming off his landmarks when necessary. In year one, Booth Jr. has the ability to compete for a starting role and has the makings of a high-level impact starter by year two or three. He is a versatile player that can execute in any coverage technique and has no matchup restrictions. He could even warrant some situational opportunities to play in the slot given his quickness and willingness to trigger and fit the run closer to the box.
Ideal Role: Starting outside corner
Scheme Fit: Scheme-versatile but best in man
FILM EVALUATION
Written by Joe Marino
Games watched: Ohio State (2020), Virginia (2020), Georgia Tech (2020), Miami (2020), Georgia (2021), Boston College (2021), Pittsburgh (2021), NC State (2021)
Best Game Studied: Georgia (2021)
Worst Game Studied: NC State (2021)
Man Coverage Skills: Booth Jr. is a sticky man coverage corner with loose hips, quick feet, and excellent route-anticipation skills. He does well to read route stems and stay connected as routes elongate. Booth Jr. has every necessary physical trait to be a shutdown man coverage corner in the NFL.
Zone Coverage Skills: Booth Jr. generally does well to stay leveraged in zone coverage, cue the backfield, and work into throwing lanes. With that said, he does have room to grow in terms of understanding when to come off landmarks and adjust on the fly. In 2021, the Clemson defense too often covered grass in zone and a simple understanding of where the eligible receivers are, the routes those receivers run, and eliminating threats from there would have improved the coverage spacing and Booth Jr. occasionally fell victim to that. And while Booth Jr. was victimized a few times due to coverage busts where he anticipated passing off a receiver to a different zone defender, he can do a better job of squeezing routes.
Ball Skills: Booth Jr. has made his share of highlight reel plays on the football and his time spent in college as a receiver and return man shows up. He is aggressive to break on the football and he has no issues finding or tracking the football in the air. Booth Jr. rounds out his skill set by having a knack to make game-changing plays on the football. He has that alpha mentality when the ball is in the air and is ultra-competitive at the catch point when challenged.
Tackling: Booth Jr. is an aggressive and enthusiastic tackler with dynamic click and close ability. He makes impact tackles outside his frame and there is never anything passive when it comes to playing the run or making a tackle. With that said, he isn’t immune to a missed tackle, which are almost always a result of coming in too hot or leaving his feet with too much distance between himself and the ball-carrier, leading to whiffs.
Versatility: Booth Jr. has been tasked with executing a variety of coverage techniques including man, zone, soft press, and tight press man coverage. His skill set presents zero limitations or matchup restrictions. Booth Jr. has experience on the kick-off team, punt return, and punt coverage units.
Competitive Toughness: Booth Jr. is an elite competitor. He plays an aggressive and physical brand of football that leads to him always being around the football. He battles on every rep and his motor always runs hot. You can just tell by watching him that he doesn’t want to concede an inch on the field. For as gifted of a player that Booth Jr. is, my favorite component of his game is his competitive spirit.
Functional Athleticism: Booth Jr. features an explosive athletic profile and he controls his speed well. He has the short-area quickness needed to mirror and match routes and the long speed to carry receivers down the field. His movement skills are dynamic and without limitation.
Football IQ: Booth Jr.’s football intelligence shows up when defending the run, mirroring routes in man coverage, and in his overall spatial awareness. With that said, there is room to grow in terms of processing in zone coverage and adjusting. Booth Jr. is rarely caught panicking or out of position and he has nearly a clean resume when it comes to penalties.
Run Defending: Booth Jr. is a terrific run defender that is enthusiastic about getting involved. He understands run fits and will do the dirty work in terms of aggressively and physically taking on blocks to spill runs back inside and maintain outside leverage. If there is a blunder defending the run for Booth Jr., it’s because he’s too aggressive trying to make a tackle. I love his makeup as a run defender and it could lead to him playing both outside and in the slot at the next level.
Length: Booth Jr. has good length and he knows how to make it count. He routinely finishes tackles outside his frame by extending his tackle radius due to his arm length. He also maximizes his length when making plays on the ball with precise timing and the ability to fully extend while maintaining body control.
Prospect Comparison: Jaire Alexander (2018 NFL Draft, Green Bay Packers)
SCOUT GRADES
TDN Consensus: 88.50/100 (First Round Value)
https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/andrew-booth-jr
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