Ryan Poles and the Bears traded back into the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft after expending all four of their draft picks. By trading for the No. 144 pick, the Bears used it to select Kansas defensive end Austin Booker.
Who is Booker? He grew up in Greenwood, Indiana, attending Center Grove High School, which is roughly three hours from Chicago.
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Booker attended Minnesota for his first two seasons of college football. He redshirted his freshman year and played six games in his sophomore season. After his second year, he entered the transfer portal and flipped to Kansas.
He's a defensive end who played for the Kansas Jayhawks in 2023, recording eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss in a dominant junior season. He also notched 56 tackles (40 solos), two forced fumbles and one pass defended.
To acquire Booker, the Bears traded a 2025 fourth-rounder to acquire the No. 144 pick in the draft. Ironically, that pick is the very same one they traded to the Bills in exchange for offensive lineman Ryan Bates earlier this season.