Chicago Bears 25 Most important players of 2024: #16 Austin Booker

We continue to count down the 25 most important Chicago Bears players ahead of training camp. At number 16 we have defensive end Austin Booker.

As the Chicago Bears move closer to the start of training camp we continue to count down the 25 most important players in 2024. We are now at number 16. At this mark, we have defensive end Austin Booker.

Booker was a surprise pick in a number of ways. The Chicago Bears originally had just four draft picks and on the final day of the draft they used them all. However, General Manager Ryan Poles traded a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills to select Booker in the fifth round.

Poles was very impressed with Booker and when he saw him available he felt he had to make the move. The hope is that Booker becomes the big steal of the draft.

Booker presents an interesting case. He played in just 18 games with the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Kansas Jayhawks. Of those, he had just one start. In total, he has just 505 snaps in his college career.

It might seem that giving away a fourth-round pick to pick such an inexperienced player in the fifth round could be risky. However, when you look at Booker’s film he looks nothing like a newbie on the field. He has a variety of moves and a football IQ that make him look like an old pro.

In 2023, while with Kansas, Booker was a reserve. Despite that, he led the Jayhawks in

tackles for loss (12) and sacks (8). He also finished fourth in total tackles. That made a big impression on the Chicago Bears front office and coaching staff.

Some draft analysts said that if Booker decided to stay in school he could have been a first-round pick in 2025. That is great news for the Chicago Bears. The team scouts were also impressed with his play at the Senior Bowl.

During practices, he dominated whoever was in front of him. That included the Green Bay Packers first-round draft pick, Jordan Morgan. He used a variety of moves to blow past him to get to the quarterback. This is something the Bears hope continues at the next level.

Booker continued his stellar performance at the NFL Combine. Again, he showcased his talent and he showed that his inexperience might not be too much of a problem early on at the next level.

Can Booker be the answer to the need for a pass rusher?

The Chicago Bears have a desperate need for a pass rusher. They have had struggles

at getting to the quarterback in recent seasons. Poles did something to mitigate that problem last season when he traded for Montez Sweat midway through the season. While he did a great job, without help teams will just send a village of players at him to slow his path to the quarterback.

The Bears need someone who can make teams pay for doing that.

If Booker can do that it will be a big boost for the Chicago Bears defense. However, with his inexperience whether he can do that this season is the big question. He is still very raw. He is 6-foot-4.5 and weighs 245 pounds. His frame can still look to add another 15 pounds at least.

The Bears could still be looking for a veteran defensive end. However, if Booker makes an impression during training camp, whoever Poles signs could just be a short-term bridge.

While they had no pads, Booker was already turning heads during OTAs and the

veteran minicamp. He took some snaps with the starters and held his own. Most of his snaps came with the backups. When he faced the backups, he really dominated. He caused a lot of problems for the backup offensive linemen.

For his part, Booker is supremely confident. Despite his inexperience, his goal is to start in his first season. He could fit in with this group of young, athletic, and physical players on defense. The defense is looking to become elite and Booker can be a big part of getting that done. 

I want to be a first-year starter. That’s the goal. I’m going to bring a bunch of energy and hard work to the table. I love chasing after the ball. I’m going to keep playing with terrific effort at the next level.

It will be interesting to see how Austin Booker fares once training camp begins. The players will be in pads and practices will be in full speed. If he continues to dominate the backups, he should see more snaps with the starters. Should he do well against them then the Chicago Bears could be cooking with the steal of the draft.

Previous rankings: #25: Tory Taylor  #24: Velus Jones  #23: Jack Sanborn  #22: Gerald Everett  #21: Kyler Gordon  #20: Cairo Santos #19: Kevin Byard  #18: Nate Davis  #17: Jaquan Brisker

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