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Highlights of new Bears EDGE Austin Booker

The Bears traded into the fifth round to land EDGE Austin Booker, who has an incredibly high ceiling. See him in action:

The Chicago Bears need help with their pass rush and they didn’t address with any of the four picks that they had scheduled coming into the 2024 NFL Draft. Because of this, Ryan Poles took a risk and traded into the fifth round to select Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker.

The Bears traded a 2025 fourth-rounder to the Buffalo Bills for their original No. 144 pick (traded to Buffalo for Ryan Bates), which tells you Poles must’ve thought highly of Booker.

Kansas isn’t exactly a football powerhouse, but they are very capable of producing good NFL talent from time to time. The Bears are hoping that this is something that happened with Booker, who has a limited sample size but extremely high ceiling.

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It’s unclear how much playing time he’ll have as a rookie, but Booker will have a star like Montez Sweat to look up to as he begins his NFL career. Having Sweat and defensive coordinator Eric Washington should be great for Booker as he develops.

These highlights from Kansas show exactly what Booker has been able to do in his career:

Highlights of new Bears punter Tory Taylor

The Bears landed the best punter in college football with Iowa’s Tory Taylor. See him in action:

The Chicago Bears made a statement with the selection of Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

This came after overhauling the offense with quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receiver Rome Odunze and offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie between Days 1 and 2.

General manager Ryan Poles did something that some consider to be foolish in the NFL draft. He selected a punter. In the fourth round. However, this isn’t any old punter. This is Taylor, who was the best punter in college football.

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He averaged 48.2 yards per punt last season, setting the single-season punting record and earning recognition as the Ray Guy Award winner as the nation’s top punter.

Taylor is a great punter with impressive leg strength and the ability to be a game changer that flips the field. He could wind up being one of the best in the NFL at some point.

These are some of his highlights from Iowa that show just how good he is:

Grading the Bears’ selection of EDGE Austin Booker in fifth round

The Bears traded into the fifth round to select EDGE Austin Booker. Here’s how we graded the pick.

The Chicago Bears made waves when they traded back into the fifth round to select Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker with the 144th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Chicago acquired their original fifth-round selection that they sent to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for offensive lineman Ryan Bates. The Bears traded a 2025 fourth-rounder to the Bills to select Booker, their first defensive player in this draft class.

Booker has a rather limited sample size having played just one full season (with one start) at Kansas. But he has high upside with explosiveness, athleticism, length and pass rush talent that makes him a really appealing developmental prospect in Matt Eberflus’ defense.

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NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said Booker could have been a late first-round pick next year, if he’d gone back to Kansas. So it certainly feels like Chicago landed a potential steal in Booker in the fifth round.

Booker has received NFL comps to Maxx Crosby, who’s an absolute game-wrecker. It certainly helps he’ll have the opportunity to learn from one of the best in Montez Sweat and new Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington, and we could potentially have Sweat and Booker book-ending the edge in the future.

Overall, the Bears made a move for a guy that they believe can develop into a key piece on their defense. While Booker is inexperienced (he has just 505 snap counts, per PFF), his upside is incredibly high and he has the potential to develop into another fifth-round steal for general manager Ryan Poles.

Grade: B+

Bears select EDGE Austin Booker with 144th overall pick in 2024 NFL draft

The Bears traded back into the fifth round for Kansas EDGE Austin Booker. We break it down.

The Chicago Bears made a trade with the Buffalo Bills to move back into the fifth round to select Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker with the 144th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Chicago traded back for their original fifth-round selection that they traded to Buffalo for offensive lineman Ryan Bates earlier this offseason. The Bears sent a 2025 fourth-rounder to the Bills to move into the fifth round this year.

The Bears finally added a defensive player to their rookie draft class with Booker, 21, who has high upside with his explosiveness, athleticism, length and pass rush talent.

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According to Pro Football Focus, Booker had nine sacks, eight QB pressures and a 14.8% pass-rush win rate in 2023. He added 12 tackles for loss.

Per The Athletic’s Dane Brugler: “Although he is still figuring out how and when to access his bag of tricks, Booker instinctively uses his rangy frame to create various leverage points and surprise blockers with his forceful hands.”

Chicago’s biggest need, outside of quarterback, heading into the draft was pass rusher, and they finally addressed it on Day 3. While it certainly helps to have Pro Bowler Montez Sweat (who was acquired for the No. 40 pick), there were depth concerns behind him and DeMarcus Walker. Now, Booker has a chance, as a developmental prospect, to learn from one of the best in Sweat.

Caleb Williams had message for new Bears punter Tory Taylor

Caleb Williams let new Bears punter Tory Taylor know he won’t be punting much in Chicago.

The Chicago Bears made waves with the selection of Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

While it was a surprising move — especially considering the team has yet to address the defensive line — it’s a sneaky good selection by general manager Ryan Poles, who got a star in Taylor. He’ll be a weapon for this team in how he can flip the field for the Bears defense with his impressive leg strength.

Speaking with the media after his selection, Taylor said he received this text from rookie quarterback Caleb Williams: “Hey, you’re not going to punt too much here.”

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The Bears certainly aren’t the Hawkeyes, whose offense was among the worst in college football. Especially now after Chicago has added to their explosive offense with playmakers including Williams, Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift and Gerald Everett, joining DJ Moore and Cole Kmet.

Taylor wasn’t just a good college punter, he was the best. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt last season, setting the single-season punting record and won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter.

It’s also not hyperbole to say that Taylor was Iowa’s offense last season. Safe to say, he shouldn’t be punting as much as he did in college. And, if it’s up to Williams, it’ll be a significant drop-off in total punts for Taylor as he transitions to the Bears.

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WATCH: Kiran Amegadjie reacts to getting drafted by the Bears

Kiran Amegadjie had his dreams come true when he heard he was getting drafted by his hometown team, the Chicago Bears.

A dream came true for Kiran Amegadjie on Friday night when he received the call from his hometown team, the Chicago Bears. The offensive tackle from Yale was drafted by the Bears with the No. 75 overall pick in the third round, giving the offense a long lineman who can potentially develop into a starter. Amegadjie hails from Hinsdale, a suburb just outside Chicago, and made it clear this was a dream come true.

Here is how the call went when Amegadjie spoke with general manager Ryan Poles, head coach Matt Eberflus, and president Kevin Warren.

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Poles began the call asking him the most important question: “You want to be a Chicago Bear?” Amegadjie couldn’t help but smile. “I would love to.” Eberflus then reminded him about the time they met a year ago out golfing. “A year ago, you said you were going to come to the Chicago Bears. You were right, huh?” Eberflus asked. “I told you coach, I told you,” Amegadjie said. “Tell your dad he’s got a new golf partner,” Eberflus replied.

After Warren finished the call, Amegadjie’s draft party exploded into cheers and screams. The die-hard Bears fan was coming home, and he heard it first from the team front office.

Grading the Bears’ selection of punter Tory Taylor in fourth round

The Bears drafted the best punter in college football in Iowa’s Tory Taylor. Here’s how we graded the pick.

The Chicago Bears made a splash with the selection of Iowa punter Tory Taylor with the 122nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

While the selection came as a surprise, it’s a sneaky good move by general manager Ryan Poles, who landed a weapon in Taylor, who was essentially Iowa’s offense last season.

It also addresses a concern on special teams with two-year starter Trenton Gill, who ranked last in the NFL in net average (28 yards) in 2023.

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Taylor wasn’t just a good college punter, he was the best. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt last season, setting the single-season punting record and won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter.

Sure, Chicago failed to address their most glaring need along the defensive line. But it also speaks to their evaluation of this group as a whole. They weren’t going to select a defensive lineman for the sake of taking one, especially with an impact player like Taylor available to them.

Overall, the Bears landed an impact player in Taylor, who will serve as an asset to Chicago’s defense. It also ends Gill’s starting tenure, where he’s now expected to be a roster cut. The hope is Taylor won’t have to punt too much — as rookie quarterback Caleb Williams told him — but he’ll be a weapon for this team in how he can flip the field with impressive leg strength.

Grade: B

Bears select punter Tory Taylor with 122nd overall pick in 2024 NFL draft

The Bears added a punter in Iowa’s Tory Taylor in the fourth round.

The Chicago Bears have selected Iowa punter Tory Taylor with the 122nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

While it might seem early for Chicago to draft a punter, Taylor is a star at his position. He’ll be a weapon for this team in how he can flip the field for the Bears defense with impressive leg strength.

It’s not hyperbole to say that Taylor was Iowa’s offense last year. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt last season, setting the single-season punting record and earning recognition as the Ray Guy Award winner for the nation’s top punter.

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According to Pro Football Focus, Taylor had a 81.4 punting grade (12th) in 2023 and has downed 116 punts inside the 20-yard line since 2020 (which is 37 more than the next best college punter).

Taylor is the second highest drafted punter since 2012.

This was the Bears’ final pick of the 2024 NFL draft. But it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them trade back into the final rounds, especially considering they’ve yet to address defensive line.

Dolphins NFL Draft grade: Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State 21st overall

Breaking down the Dolphins’ selection of Penn State’s Chop Robinson.

The Miami Dolphins select a speedy and explosive player that fits their style of play but on the defensive side of the ball in Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson.

Robinson projects as a rotational pass rusher in a group that includes Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Philips and should bring a level of speed and quickness that is lacking off the edge for Miami.

The name of the game for Robinson is speed as his initial get off is the best in this class. While he will need to develop his game past his raw abilities, Robinson could end up being a Brian Burns level talent at the next level.

Grade: B

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Lions NFL Draft grade: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama 24th overall

Breaking down the Lions’ selection of Alabama’s Terrion Arnold.

The Detroit Lions saw the first corner go off the board and shot up the board five spots to select the next best corner in the draft in Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold.

Arnold projects as an immediate starter outside opposite of new acquisition Carlton Davis. A proven player who has anchored the Crimson Tide secondary the past two seasons, Arnold should be immediately productive in a rapidly improving Detroit defense.

With excellent length, physicality, production, and upside, Arnold is a home run pick for a Detroit team that was frantically searching for corners all offseason. Arnold is a steal all the way down at the 24th selection.

Grade: A

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