In an article aimed at naming at least one player from every NFL team who could disappoint in 2022, Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton landed on second-round draft pick Andrew Booth Jr. for the Minnesota Vikings.
It’s a stinging pick considering the Vikings have high hopes that the 21-year-old cornerback can work his way into a significant role on offense.
Patrick Peterson turns 32 years old in July, and while Cameron Dantzler is improving, there are still some serious depth concerns in the defensive backfield.
Moton’s reasoning for picking Booth is mostly to do with the injury concerns, which is a fair and valid point.
The former Clemson Tiger couldn’t participate in the NFL Scouting Combine due to a quad injury, and the sports hernia surgery he underwent kept him off the practice field as a full participant in the spring as well.
Assuming everything goes according to plan, Booth is expected to be back by training camp, where the team will get an extensive look at him on the field. But given the time he’s missed, it might still take him a while to get into the swing of things.
Dantzler’s progression must also be taken into consideration. The team is comfortable enough to make him the starter across from Peterson, while Chandon Sullivan handles the slot work. So there’s clearly no need to rush Booth’s recovery just to get him on the field.
His rookie season won’t be a disappointment for those that accept and understand his situation.
However, for those expecting the next game-changing cornerback to suddenly emerge and help save the Vikings defense in Year 1, they could be sadly disappointed.
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