Chicago Bears rookie EDGE Austin Booker has everyone taking notice

Many Chicago Bears fans were excited when Ryan Poles traded back into the fifth round to select Kansas defensive end Austin Booker. As a toolsy but young and inexperienced prospect, Booker was a popular day-three player among draftniks for the potential of what he could eventually become.

So far, through the OTAs, minicamps, training camp, and a couple of preseason games, Booker looks like a player ready to make an impact as a rookie.

He’s been receiving reps with the starters, and while some of that is due to Montez Sweat missing time, he’s also earned everything through his hard work all offseason. The coaches are starting to trust him, and his confidence is growing.

“I feel like I still can compete at this level,” Booker said a few weeks ago via chicagobears.com. “I’m at the same level as all the other guys or better. Just getting in and showing I belong and showing I can dominate at the highest level is a big thing. I think I’ve shown that at this camp.”

His college film showed a variance of technique as a pass rusher, and the coaching he’s received this far in Chicago has seen him grow his plan of attack.

“Where he is, No. 1, is he’s had no hesitation in buying into playing the ‘HITS’ principle,” defensive line coach Travis Smith recently said via the team’s site. “So his hustle, his effort, he starts it out at the foundation. Where our growth is coming from is execution of what the assignment is. I think his system at Kansas, he was an outside ‘backer. He was either rushing or dropping. There’s more detail, there’s a little bit more to the package of what we’re doing here with him as to whether he’s playing left end or right end, movements, blitzes, stunts, third-down package, how the rush works together with our four-man rush.”

During camp and the two preseason games, we’ve already seen Booker get reps on both sides, twist in d-line stunts, run games with a blitzing linebacker behind him, and rush from both a two- and three-point distance.

Drafting Booker may not have been the reason Poles didn’t sign a veteran pass rusher before camp, but his play through a few months has to be part of the reason they still haven’t pulled the trigger.

Smith continued, “So now we’ve just got to transfer that energy and that intensity that he can play with, and we’ve got to be able to be able to execute the details of the call. So is he growing? Yeah. He’s growing. We’re loving what we’re seeing out there. We can’t see repeat mistakes. We’ve got to see him move on to the next thing so we can keep growing.”

After his two-and-a-half sack performance against the Buffalo Bills, Bears’ sideline reporter Jason McKie caught up with Booker for a quick Q&A. He asked if guys like DeMarcus Malwer and Montez Sweat had taken him under their wing.

“Definitely all the guys you mentioned, but Sweat probably more just cause we’re similar body types. I’ve been taking stuff out of his bag. He’s been putting stuff in my bag, and it’s just been great to work with him.”

McKie asked Booker his thoughts on his transition to the NFL and the difference he’s seen after playing a couple of preseason games.

“First game was sped up a little bit, and the second game it was just back to normal. I’m kind of just doing the same stuff using my long arm, using my speed and power together, and getting off the ball.”

When asked what he needed to work on, Booker said his run defense. “I feel like I was falling back on blocks and stuff like that. I want to attack those base blocks and then get off (them).”

In the locker room after the game, Booker was also talking about what he didn’t do. “There’s always stuff I could have done better,” he said via the team site. “I probably could have had two more sacks.”

It’s wild to think about all the potential Booker has when watching his film after just a few months of working with Chicago’s coaches. The counters are much more instinctual, and you can see he has a plan of attack.

During the predraft process, Booker was interviewed by Justin Melo of The Draft Network, and he asked Booker to talk about his pass-rush arsenal.

“My go-to move is definitely the long arm. Whether that’s a long arm to a throw-by, or long arm to a pull-through, long arm to push the linemen into the quarterback’s lap, everything I do is based around the long arm. Different variations of a long arm is my go-to move. I also love using speed and the ghost move. I can sell speed and spin-off of it. I have a lot of variety in my arsenal. I know how to switch it up.”

His long arm move, which you can see often in the clips below, is used to keep space between him and the blocker. It’s an ideal setup move for the 6’6” Booker, and he will only get better as he adds strength and gains experience.

“I want to be a first-year starter. That’s the goal,” Booker told The Draft Network in April. “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.”

With Walker and Sweat ahead of him on the depth chart, Booker may ultimately fall short of his goal, but it sure seems he’s positioned himself to make an impact as a rookie.