Austin Booker was the Chicago Bears’ biggest surprise of the 2024 draft. That is for multiple reasons. The first was that the Bears had no picks left in the draft. GM Ryan Poles traded a 4th round pick in 2025 to get a 5th round pick from Buffalo. The other is that Booker was even available. Draft experts had him rated as a 3rd round talent. So for him to be available that late was a stroke of luck for Chicago, especially given their need more for depth at edge rusher. One thing is certain. Opponents of Kansas were glad he left early.
Despite starting only one season for the Jayhawks, he still managed eight sacks and 12 tackles for a loss. Many expected him to stay for another year to gain more experience. His decision to go pro was a surprise. Had he stayed, the odds were high that he would’ve ended up a 2nd or 3rd round pick at least in 2025. That makes one think the Bears may have gotten a steal. His position coach at Kansas, Taiwo Onatolu, thinks so. He believes people don’t understand what Booker is truly capable of. He described it to Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune.
He’s an old-school guy. He has great work ethic. Half the battle is having the work ethic. And he’s a really tough, physical dude. He doesn’t say a whole lot. Even if he’s hurt or banged up, he’s going to try to play and push through those things. That’s something to be excited about. … It’s about the little things, and he does all of the little things right. Plus, he’s 6-5, 245. He’s put on a bunch of weight since he played.
We were playing other teams with O-linemen that were really good, got drafted high, and he was taking those guys and slinging them around at 230, 235. Now he’s 245, maybe 250. And so he’s even stronger and he has so much upside. He’s got a lot of potential. He’s a skinny guy in a big guy’s body, meaning he can move like small guys, quick twitch, explosive, but he has a 6-foot-5 frame with a long wingspan, and he has really powerful hands.
It is often difficult for players to bridge the gap between power and speed. You either have one or the other. Booker has both, and he’s not even fully developed yet. His 6’5 frame is still on the skinny side, meaning he should be able to add more muscle mass without losing that quickness and burst. If he was tossing around tackles at 235, just imagine what might happen if he reached 255 or 260. Tackles wouldn’t be able to handle him, especially given his reputation for relentlessness.
This is likely what the Bears saw as their evaluations unfolded. They knew Austin Booker would take some time to develop. He’s still inexperienced and growing into his body, so patience is required. However, if they saw things through with the right coaching, he could morph into something special. Work won’t be the issue. He embraces it. The question becomes whether he can handle the speed of the NFL level. These tackles are smart and detailed. He must become the same.
