3 stats to know about Chicago Bears fourth-round pick Austin Booker

1 The Chicago Bears did not select a player of the highest caliber.

When selecting players, particularly on the third selection day, the Chicago Bears have a history of relying heavily on athletic scores. It’s believed that the guys with the highest potential who fell that far could end up hitting the largest home homers. Austin Booker, a good but not exceptional athlete, was not like this.

His lack of bulk raises concerns about his ability to manage a heavier workload in the NFL. Although he can jump far enough to demonstrate his lower body explosiveness, pass rushers with high agility scores are more adept at dodging tackles and changing course to pursue quarterbacks who are on the move. He was nothing special to brag about, but he was good to slightly above ordinary in this regard.

In general, it’s evident why Booker plummeted. Despite his lack of athletic flare and limited experience, he did demonstrate production in the short time he had. Even though he might be at his maximum potential as a rotational pass rusher, this is an intriguing guy.

2. In his final year of college, Austin Booker produced an enormous amount of work.

Booker’s explosive performance was one of the reasons he was able to jump into the NFL after 2023 despite not being able to play much during the first two years of his career outside of high school. In 2024, he had 38 pressures, up from two in just two years.

Booker was a part-time player who has 237 pass-rush snaps with 38 pressures. According to PFF, he earned a pass rush productivity rating of 10.3. In contrast, Dallas Turner was at 12, Laitu Latu was at 13.3, and Jared Verse was at 11.7 for the first round picks. Although he wasn’t quite where they were, considering that he was a fourth-round choice, his production was excellent.

In the meantime, Booker’s run stop percentage was 10.2 with 34 run stops. Robinson is at 5.9, Turner is at 4.2, and Latu is at 6.9. Even though the sample size was lower, Booker fared better against the run.

Still, the only players with higher run-stop rates were Adisa Isaac and Marshawn Kneeland. Thus, we are discussing a top player in both categories. When he does play, it might have an impact, however it is reasonable to wonder if he can do it over a larger sample and if he can handle more snaps.

The Chicago Bears returned to the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by moving a future pick. They selected Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker as a result. Some speculated that Booker was a player the team would have considered selecting in the third round. He was also included in the first group of players considered for the fourth round, which included Tory Taylor. He fulfills a need. How else does Booker contribute?

3. Austin Booker’s experience is somewhat limited.

Austin Booker lacks experience, to start with. Booker redshirted his rookie year at Minnesota, where he began his career. He played for the Golden Gophers as a redshirt freshman, but he was rarely on the field.

Booker dressed for just six games while playing 23 snaps. Having had difficulty establishing himself there, he moved to Kansas. He was a rotational pass rusher even in his redshirt sophomore year at Kansas. Even so, Booker played 482 snaps before he eventually saw the field.

Booker has played 505 snaps overall, 254 of which have been as a pass rusher and 235 of which as a run defender. He has also dropped into coverage 15 times. Overall, that is a pretty small sample size.

Someone enters the fourth round as a result of that. The fact that Booker is still only 21 years old is fantastic news. Best is yet to come for him. Additionally, he joined a team where, to begin his career, he is probably going to be the fourth rusher in the rotation.Finding out what kind of player he can be and gaining experience should be the goals of his rookie season.