2024 NFL Draft Profile: Austin Booker

Austin Booker NFL Draft Overview

Position: Defensive Lineman

Height: 6’6 (Unofficial)

Weight: 245 lbs (Unofficial)

School: Kanas Jayhawks

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Kansas Jayhawks athletics is known as basketball blue blood through and through. However, ever so often, their football program develops a good product on the field and in the NFL draft. Austin Booker is an example of that, as the Jayhawks have declared for the NFL draft. The former three-star recruit committed to Minnesota, where he spent his first two years. Unfortunately, Booker barely saw playing time and transferred to Kansas for more opportunities. In his lone year at Kansas, Booker amassed 56 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. Booker has all the talented traits scouts look for in out-of-pass rushers. Long arms, good speed, a nice bend, and an entire drawer of pass-rush moves. However, did he earn a first-round draft grade? Let’s dig into the film!

2024 NFL Draft: Austin Booker Scouting Report

Booker’s Strengths

• Outstanding athlete for the position.
• He has an explosive first step, good bend around the edge, and closing speed to finish sacks.
• He has a legit NFL bag of NFL pass rush moves, including Cross Chop, two-hand swipe, Ghost Rush, and inside counters.
• Loves to compete. He has a great motor to make sacks late in the down. He also makes tackles chasing down skilled players.
• He’s wiry, and it might take a few years, but he has a great frame to add weight and become a three-down edge defender.
• Solid strike-first mentality and physicality at the point of attack. Not afraid to stop the run.

Booker’s Weakness

• Only a full-time starter for one year with significant snaps.
• Lack of experience shows in situations on tape, especially in play-action.
• He gets too excited and eager to go upfield and ignores run-defense gap responsibilities.
• It leads to wide-open holes in the run for the opponent to run through.
• He has a great frame to add weight and bulk up, but right now, he’s too wiry and weak.
• He will have difficulty holding up at the Point of attack at the NFL level.
• Inconsistent first step explosiveness. It’s there, but he can come off the ball late, which takes away his advantage.

Projection: Third Round Pick

NFL Comparison: Arden Key

Best Fits: Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Oakland Raiders.

Bottom Line

Austin Booker is a young and talented pass rusher who will need two to three years to develop. Booker has long arms and is an outstanding athlete who chases down ball carriers and closes in on the Quarterback. He Has an excellent first step combined with a frame to bulk up and add weight to support his physicality. My NFL pro-comparison was Tennessee Titan Arden Key. Like Booker, Key had a wiry frame raw pass rush plan with a great first step and a good motor. After a rough few years, Key has become one of the best under-the-radar pass rushers in the NFL. I expect Booker to have the same path if he can iron out his weaknesses. Main Photo: Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK