Minnesota Vikings cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Insider criticizes Vikings for drafting oft-injured rookie

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 11/30/22

The Minnesota Vikings believed they got a steal when cornerback Andrew Booth was still on the board at pick No. 42 in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

But after multiple injuries caused him to miss five of the team’s first 11 games, Booth won’t suit up again until 2023 after undergoing season-ending knee surgery on Monday. The news prompted Vikings insider Darren Wolfson to question the team’s scouting department for taking a flier on the Clemson alum.

#Vikings CB Andrew Booth Jr. is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery Monday, per source.

Losing Booth, the second-round pick from Clemson, is a blow to depth in Minnesota's beat-up secondary, though Kevin O'Connell said he's hopeful Cam Dantzler comes off IR soon.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 29, 2022

“The red flags were up pre-draft,” Wolfson said on the “SKOR North Podcast.” “There were teams that had medical checks next to his name saying, ‘Yeah, we can’t take him Day 1 or Day 2. If we want to roll the dice Day 3.’ …But there were a number of teams that would not have touched him in the 30s, 40s, 50s, or 60s. There were teams that had legitimate concern pre-draft with Booth.

“It’s been multiple injuries now since he’s been a Viking. Let’s call it what it is — it’s not the final chapter being written, he still has a chance to be a very fine player, but so far, a swing and a miss by the Vikings front office.”

Playing just 25 percent of the Minnesota’s defensive snaps this season, Booth recorded 12 tackles while allowing 13 receptions on 15 targets for 152 yards with just one forced incompletion. He also had the lowest coverage grade on the Vikings, per Pro Football Focus.

Booth is the second member of Minnesota’s 2022 draft class to be lost for the season, joining safety Lewis Cine, the team’s first-round pick who suffered a broken leg in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints.

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