Austin Booker could prove to be the unsung hero of the Bears' defensive line

Austin Booker was on a lot of teams rader. The Chicago Bears were one of 15 different team meetings he had. The first team he visited was the Green Bay Packers. Go figure. The Packers previously drafted a player last year who didn't start for his college, yet he was the most productive pass rusher on his team. That player is Lukas Van Ness. You all should remember the Iowa edge rusher. Many Chicago Bear fans wanted him. He was a monster in college and had a solid outing during his rookie year in the NFL.

Back in Iowa in 2021, he had 33 tackles, seven sacks, and 8.5 TFLs.
Van Ness pushed himself to the first round by doubling down and having a just as productive year in 2022. Austin Booker could have moved his draft stock north in the 2025 draft, but he knew it was time to make the leap. Booker never got the shot he felt he deserved in Minnesota for reasons that aren't our business. Booker sprung into action with 56 tackles, eight sacks, and 12.5 TFLs. The only thing stopping him from moving up the draft board was having another productive year in college and his size.

Speaking of size, why is it that the Packers who run a 30 front have 6'5 270lbs+ sized edge rushers, and the Bears run a 40 front and have 6'4 240lbs+ edge rushers? Shouldn't that be reversed? All I can tell you is that each team views edge rushers differently. The Packers have been obsessed with stout edge rushers, while the Bears want that lean power. I mean, we can bring up Montez Sweet as a plus-size player, but he isn't. Sweet is 6'6, 260lbs. That is basically the equivalent of that 6'4, 245-250ish that Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus keep targeting.

The Chicago Bears have a stud rookie edge rusher

You already know the draft Profile and makeup of Austin Booker. We don't need to get into that. What I can tell you that excites me about him is his play style. Booker is more than hustle and an endless motor. Ever since the Bears acquired Khalil Mack, I studied pass rushers a little harder than usual. Ideally, you want one of two things. Either you want someone who is very explosive and bendy or someone strong with their hands. What I specifically mean with Booker is the long arm move. A player needs to embrace that move as their primary use of attack and have counters off of it. Maxx Crosby and Khalil Mack are probably the best examples of how to use moves from the long arm.

Montez Sweat's foundation is the use of the long arm. That is the beautiful thing about Austin Booker. He was asked by the draft network what he felt was his weapon of choice when pass-rushing. Booker not only shared that the long arm is his favorite move, but he can counter six different ways from that single move. The man is very strong. If you don't believe me, just watch the senior bowl practices on YouTube. Booker put the Packer's first-round tackle on his butt more than once in those practices. The Chicago Bears got that in the fifth round. Many want the Bears to add another pass rusher, and they might, but Autin Booker is coming.