Most of the national media attention surrounding the Chicago Bears has centered on Caleb Williams. Nobody is shocked by that. He’s the #1 pick in the draft. He’s a quarterback. It goes with the territory. However, he isn’t the only Bears draft pick getting attention lately. Austin Booker, their 5th round pick out of Kansas, announced himself to the world with 2.5 sacks and three QB hits in Buffalo last Saturday. Experts were shocked at how effective he looked as a pass rusher, much further along than anybody could’ve expected.
One person who took an interest in his progress was Mitchell Schwartz. The former offensive tackle was a four-time All-Pro with the Kansas City Chiefs, helping them win the Super Bowl in 2019. During a nine-year career, he faced some of the NFL’s best pass rushers, which gave him a unique perspective on what Booker showed. His assessment was short but certainly not lacking in fireworks.
He sees shades of two-time Super Bowl champion Jason Pierre-Paul in the Bears’ 21-year-old rookie.
Austin Booker is a steal if he even gets halfway to JPP status.
Pierre-Paul was one of the best pass rushers of the 2010s. He racked up 94.5 sacks, was a three-time Pro Bowler, and has the rare distinction of being one of the very few players who beat Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes in a Super Bowl. Don’t forget much of his success came after mangling his hand in a terrible fireworks accident. It could’ve ended his career. Instead, he went on to collect 51.5 more sacks after it happened. It was a testament to his freakish mix of size, length, athleticism, and motor.
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Hearing that Austin Booker shares a natural ability similar to Pierre-Paul’s is a great thing. He doesn’t quite have the same dimensions. The latter was 270 lbs and had slightly longer arms. Still, Booker keeps demonstrating that he has more than enough power in his frame to handle NFL tackles. He will add more weight in due time. Remember, the Bears got this kid in the 5th round. Pierre-Paul was the 15th overall pick. Everybody knew he’d probably be great. If Booker follows a similar arc, it could become one of the biggest steals in franchise history.
