Bears trade back into draft, select former Big 12 Newcomer of the Year

The Bears were seemingly done with the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday, but the team brass decided to trade back in to draft Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker. 

For moving out of the 144th overall pick in the fifth round, the Bills will receive a 2025 fourth-round pick from Chicago. This pick was the fifth-rounder that Buffalo originally acquired from the Bears when they traded center Ryan Bates to Chicago. The Bears got their pick back.

Booker started his career at Minnesota, redshirting in 2021 and playing sparingly in his second year with the Golden Gophers. As a result, he entered the transfer portal and found his way to Kansas. 

Booker exploded onto the scene in his lone year with the Jayhawks. Winning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and earning first-team All-Big 12 honors, Booker led the team in sacks (8.0), tackles for loss (12.0), and forced fumbles (2) despite only making one start in 12 game appearances.

The Bears are getting a project here in the fifth round. They’re well set up to do so with Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker returning at defensive end. They add a little bit of depth with third-year end Dominique Robinson, but the cabinet is a bit bare after that with Khalid Kareem and Jacob Martin failing to make much of an impact in the NFL thus far.

Booker figures to work into the rotation, nonetheless. His impressive single-season production in Lawrence shows that, while he’s still developing, he can absolutely be effective. 

The Bears will fill out his frame the right way and will attempt to help coach him into a starting pass rusher with a new bag of tricks that Booker has yet to access. Despite his raw makeup, the Bears saw fit to trade back into the draft to acquire him.