Austin Booker DE, Chicago Bears, R5 P144
Austin Booker possesses immense raw talent. Booker received playing time in just two games his redshirt sophomore season at Minnesota and tallied just two tackles with no sacks. He made his impact felt immediately upon his arrival in Lawrence, recording two sacks in his first game with the Jayhawks. Booker finished the season with 56 tackles and eight sacks, landing him 88th on PFF’s pre-draft big board.
Montez Sweat occupies one end of the line for Chicago. After leading both the Bears and Commanders in sacks last season, six with Chicago and six and a half with Washington, Sweat desperately needs help on a Bears front-end that ranked dead last in PFF’s team pass-rushing grades.
Although Booker is a project, the Bears lack prestige edge talent opposite Sweat. Booker’s length and explosiveness jump off the screen. His usage of swim moves and ability to bend under offensive tackles has NFL star potential. However, at just 240 pounds, Booker will need to bulk up to battle faster, stronger, NFL offensive linemen. Look for Booker to add mass to a naturally powerful frame and play significant snaps at edge rusher for the Bears in 2024.
