LAWRENCE — Austin Booker became Kansas football’s second selection of the 2024 NFL draft when the Chicago Bears picked him up Saturday in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick.
Booker, who spent one year with the Jayhawks, emerged as a breakout candidate throughout the season. A defensive lineman, he proved to be one of the best edge rushers in the Big 12 Conference — not to mention the nation. Although he had the option of returning to college, and further developing, he chose to make the move to the professional ranks and has been rewarded for it.
“There’s room for him to add weight, get a little stronger, but the initial quickness, that explosion off the ball, you watch him here get after the quarterback,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said on the broadcast of the NFL draft, while describing Booker as 6-foot-4.5 and 240 pounds. “He also has some power in that pass rush, and he’ll get better with that once he gets stronger. The production this year — fourth in total tackles on that team, 12 tackles for loss, caused a couple fumbles.”
That lack of extensive experience, considering Booker didn’t play much at Minnesota before transferring to Kansas, could be why he was drafted on the third day instead of the second. His teammate, offensive lineman Dominick Puni, went in the third round to the San Francisco 49ers after a lengthy college career that spanned the Division II and Division I levels. But what Booker showcased was he was ready for a heightened level of responsibility, and that could happen again in the NFL.
Booker led Kansas in tackles for loss and sacks this past season. He played like an All-Big 12 Conference performer, and was the Big 12’s defensive newcomer of the year. Thanks in part to him, the Jayhawks were able to make a second-straight bowl game appearance for the first time in more than a decade.
“I had an amazing visit (to Chicago) … I know I will be in good hands going forward,” Booker said in a KU release after his selection. “I’m 21, so I know that I have a lot of years ahead of me to get stronger and get faster, so I’m just looking to keep growing in the NFL.”
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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Pros and cons of Chicago Bears picking Kansas football’s Austin Booker in NFL draft
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