The Chicago Bears knew they couldn’t exit the main part of the off-season without adding some pass rush help. It took longer than expected, but they finally pounced at the end of the NFL draft when they traded back into the 5th round with Buffalo for Kansas standout Austin Booker. Scouts loved his mix of size, length, and quickness. He had eight sacks and 12 tackles for a loss in 2023. There was one problem. He’d only started one season. That may have been why he fell in the draft despite projections he’d go in the 3rd round. Chicago wasn’t complaining. They saw an excellent template to work with.
His debut in the Hall of Fame game reinforced that belief. Booker was one of the few who consistently affected the pocket most of the night, beating tackles in a variety of ways. He should’ve been credited with a half-sack that led to a fumble. Regardless, the young man was active constantly.
Austin Booker is just scratching the surface of his potential.
Everybody knew about his length and quickness. What probably surprised many of the Texans’ blockers was how strong he was. He powered through guys on multiple occasions. Keep in mind he is listed at only 240 lbs. He hasn’t even bulked up to true defensive end size yet. That should terrify people who can project the future. If he’s tossing 300-lbs guys out of his way right now, there is no telling what he’ll become after adding 10-15 lbs of muscle to his frame. No wonder Bears coaches are so excited about him. Austin Booker is not your typical 5th round pick. He’s a Pokemon that is one or two good battles away from evolving into a straight monster. This was an exciting first step in his journey and certainly built his confidence moving forward.
It was the HoF game where backups try to impress in basic schemes. Coaches want to see who executes at a competent or high level, and who looks lost or plays poorly.
Who agrees that Pettis, Amen O, Baskerville and the RT had a rough night while Rypien and Collin Williams played very well?
Looking forward to more preseason action to see how starters do.
I’d vote for Eddie Jackson.
Dr, Melhus, ALL very true. I’m just struggling to get past a few things namely that I feel Eberflus was the single biggest reason for those multiple collapses last year with his eat the clock idea’s. Part of the Patriots reign for so long was that went for the juggler for 60 minutes no matter the score. Playing not to lose was Lovie’s undoing (If he would have coached like he did in the last 2 plays of his last game, he’d probably still be here) and I fear ‘flus will refuse to learn also. I have lot’s of flashbacks… Read more »
@GatorJoe: It’s the HoF game. What the preseason is to the regular season, the HoF game is to the preseason. The second string players get limited reps, and the scrubs play most of the game. The starters don’t even suit up. I remember seeing Caleb and Ryan Bates on the sidelines in gray Bears athletic tees, no pads or helmets. So it’s hard to blame the broadcasters for not doing the usual stuff when most of the players on the field won’t survive final cuts. I think part of the issue is that, given the Bears ’24 draft, and the… Read more »
So upon review, he looked pretty promising (against other reserves) but guess what, it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if Eberflus doesn’t get away from that soft coverage. They routinely completed passes on 3 step drops to wide open receivers for first downs. Any decent quarterback will do that. I know this is preseason but I also know Eberflus’ modus operandi, he’d better start challenging receivers or the defense may be in for a rude awakening.