CB prospect Andrew Booth to visit Patriots before NFL Draft
Booth is projected to go in the back half of the first round and should be available when the Patriots pick at No. 21.
Those that want the Patriots to focus on cornerbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft got some welcome news this week.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Wednesday New England will reportedly host Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. for a Top-30 visit on Friday, signaling the cornerback could be on their first-round radar at the end of the month. (Each team gets 30 in-house visits to spend on top prospects.)
A frequent Patriots target in mock drafts, Booth’s film reveals an aggressive yet intelligent corner who can play both man and zone well, provides excellent support as a tackler, and is a player college quarterbacks frequently stayed away from in coverage despite his relative lack in starting experience.
Though the Patriots re-signed Malcolm Butler and added Terrance Mitchell to support Jalen Mills at outside corner, the team still badly needs starting-caliber cornerbacks in the draft.
Booth is one of arguably three late-first-round, early-second-round cornerbacks the Patriots could target along with Florida’s Kaiir Elam and Auburn’s Roger McCreary. Both Elam and McCreary more closely fit the profile of what the Patriots have utilized over the past few seasons: press-man corners with possible lockdown potential.
Booth, on the other hand, represents a more versatile option that might acclimate more quickly to the zone schemes the defense might be leaning toward in 2022.
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