Chicago Bears intrigued by ‘upside’ of 5th-round draft pick: Austin Booker of Kansas

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is pleased the team’s general manager kept working Saturday after the Bears selected elite punter Tory Taylor with what was supposed to be their fourth and final pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“Great job by Ryan (Poles, GM) trading back into it, getting him,” Eberflus said of former University of Kansas standout Austin Booker, a 6-foot-4 1/2, 240-pound defensive end/linebacker known for his edge-rushing ability.

Chicago was able to snare Booker with the 144th pick in the draft after Poles shipped the team’s 2025 fourth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for the Bills’ fifth-round selection in this year’s draft.

“He (Booker) is a guy who has got a lot of upside. He’s long. He’s fast. He’s got a lot of burst to close. He plays that aggressive style. We’re excited to have him,” Eberflus added of Booker, a first-team all-Big 12 pick who had eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 12 games during the 2023 season. He also forced two fumbles and deflected one pass. In all, he had 56 total tackles, 40 of them unassisted.

Poles explained the reasoning behind selecting Booker, who played one season at Kansas after starting his career at Minnesota.

“He’s a guy we thought had tremendous upside. We love his length. We love how hard he plays,” Poles said during a news conference held after the conclusion of the draft — one in which the Bears took franchise quarterback Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall. “At 21-years-old (there’s) a lot of growth and development there.”

Booker, a native of Greenwood, Indiana, said in a Zoom call with media members who cover the Bears regularly that he does not mind being known as a “raw” talent.

“I’m 21. I know I have a lot of years ahead of me to get better, stronger, faster. I’m just looking to keep growing in the NFL,” Booker said.

He had eligibility remaining in college had he elected to return for the 2024 season at KU.

“I feel I’m mentally, physically ready to compete at the higher level,” Booker said Saturday, “but it’s also good to strike while the iron is hot. You never know what’s going to happen next year. I feel like I was ready, so I left.”

Booker said he’s looking forward to learning a lot from not only the Bears coaches but also 27-year-old defensive end Montez Sweat, a player who contacted Booker after he was selected Saturday.

“He said we’ve got to get to work. I’m excited to get there to Chicago to learn from him and keep getting better,” Booker said.

Booker said he is ready to play end or linebacker.

“I have played a 4-down my whole career: college and high school,” Booker said. “I also know I have the athleticism to play that 3-down. Versatility is only a plus for me moving forward. I’m excited running in the 4-3, getting my hands in the dirt again.

“I’ve got speed. I’ve got length. I’ve got strength. Being able to use all those at once is a gift I have. I’m about to use that at the next level.”

Alyssa Barbieri of bearswire.usatoday.com offered her take on Booker’s potential:

“He has high upside with explosiveness, athleticism, length and pass rush talent that makes him a really appealing developmental prospect in Matt Eberflus’ defense,” Barbieri wrote. “NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said Booker could have been a late first-round pick next year if he’d gone back to Kansas. So it certainly feels like Chicago landed a potential steal in Booker in the fifth round.

“Booker has received NFL comps to Maxx Crosby, who’s an absolute game-wrecker. It certainly helps he’ll have the opportunity to learn from one of the best in Montez Sweat and new Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington, and we could potentially have Sweat and Booker bookending the edge in the future. Overall, the Bears made a move for a guy that they believe can develop into a key piece on their defense. While Booker is inexperienced (he has just 505 snap counts), his upside is incredibly high and he has the potential to develop into another fifth-round steal for general manager Ryan Poles.”

Josh Shrock of NBC Sports Chicago interviewed Bears scout John Syty after the selection was made.

“The way this kid wins, the way he’s able to win with speed outside, the way he’s able to come underneath with the counter and then deceptively one of his best attributes is this kid’s ability to win with power,” Syty said of Booker. “So when you can win all three ways regardless of how this kid tests, you turn on the tape and you see everything you need to see on film.”

He continued.

“The main is going to be the upside,” Syty said about why the Bears traded to acquire Booker. “This kid fits a lot of the metrics of what you look for in pass rushers: the length, the athleticism, the ability to win multiple ways as a rusher.”