The Chicago Bears stole the show at the NFL Draft by taking Caleb Williams No. 1 overall and then selecting wide receiver Rome Odunze eight picks later.
However, it’s what the Bears did in the fifth round that has Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox buzzing.
With the 144th selection, Chicago took University of Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker, representing the only pass rusher the Bears have added this offseason.
Booker is coming off of an impressive 2023 campaign in which he racked up 56 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, eight sacks and a couple of forced fumbles for the Jayhawks.
That’s better production than many of the pass rushers who went much earlier in the draft.
“Booker is an intriguing Day 2 prospect, as his combination of length and movement skills give him a high ceiling as a pass-rusher in the NFL,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder prior to the draft. “His change of direction and quickness really stand out on film.”
Booker has terrific size at 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, and even drew a comparison to Maxx Crosby from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
We’ll see if Booker can make the other 31 teams regret not picking him earlier.
The Bears desperately need pass rushers
For all of the talk about how dangerous of a team the Bears may be in 2024, not many people are talking about their lack of a pass rush.
Chicago amassed a grand total of 30 sacks last season, which ranked second-to-last in the NFL. As a matter of fact, the Bears’ leading sack-getter in 2023 was someone who came over in a midseason trade and only spent nine games with the club: Montez Sweat, who logged six sacks.
To make matters worse, Chicago’s No. 2 and 3 sack leaders from this past year—Justin Jones and Yannick Ngakoue—are no longer with the team. Jones joined the Arizona Cardinals in free agency, and Ngakoue remains unsigned (the Bears still have a chance to bring him back).
It may have behooved Chicago to take a couple of pass rushers in the drat. This is a clear area of weakness for the club, and it may very well be exposed come September—especially in an NFC North division that features a couple of top quarterbacks like Jordan Love and Jared Goff.
Perhaps Booker is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Bears. He may very well have to be if Chicago wants to have any semblance of a pass rush outside of Sweat.
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