2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Kansas EDGE Austin Booker

From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Kansas EDGE Austin Booker.

#9 Austin Booker/EDGE Kansas – 6044, 240 lbs. (Redshirt Sophomore)

Senior Bowl

Combine

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

– Possesses an outstanding frame; has a lot of room to grow
– Length for days; abiotic to play outside of his frame
– Notable first step explosiveness
– Flexible and bendy outside rusher
– Plays with fantastic effort and motor
– Flashes of pass rush plan
– Slippery rusher who gets off of blocks effectively
– Some natural power throughout his hips and core
– Experience working from multiple alignments, from two and three-point stance 

THE BAD

– More reactive than proactive player right now
– Needs to add weight and strength to his frame
– Limited pass rush plan; lacks counters off of initial rush
– First step is inconsistent
– Needs to play with more urgency as a rusher 

BIO

– Spent two seasons at the University of Minnesota (2021-2022)
– Led Kansas with eight sacks and 12 TFLs in 2023
– Participated in 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl
– Attended Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Indiana
– Also played basketball at Center Grove
– Father, Duaine, played college football at Liberty University and Taylor University
– Mother, Katie, played college basketball at Taylor University

TAPE BREAKDOWN

When you are evaluating the edge position, you are looking for twitch, length, and flexibility. Booker brings all of those skills to the table, presenting tremendous upside as a pass rusher on the next level. He has legitimate up-field explosiveness, which can push opposing offensive tackles into conflict. 

That can cause offensive lineman to overset at times, leaving their inside shoulder exposed. Booker has the flexibility and change of direction to work the inside track and finish for the sack. Lined up at defensive end (No. 9) to the right of the screen, you can see his slipperiness as a rusher, finishing the quarterback on the ground off of the counter. 

You are drafting Booker right now for the long term, not necessarily for the floor. Booker is a work in progress technically, and he is just starting to really figure his game out. You will see signs of nuance, but a lack of experience does show. Occasionally, he will throw out a move like an inside spin that can be absolutely tantalizing. On this rep, he is lined up on the left side of the screen and shows some absurd quickness to win with the spin for a pressure. 

As a run defender, Booker wins with his quickness right now more than his power profile. He is a lightly built edge defender who will still need to add some weight to his frame to improve play strength. However, you can see the twitch he plays with. To the left of the screen, you can see Booker use his flexibility and length to easily defeat the drive block by the left tackle. He also flashes his tackle radius for a big stop. 

As a run defender, there are tools for Booker to become an asset down the road. Despite his lack of play strength, Booker shows great effort to play against the run and length to gain extension at the point of attack. Here, Booker is on the left side, contacts the puller, and finishes for a big tackle.

With Booker’s stride length and explosiveness, he has the ability to make a ton of plays in pursuit. On the backside of the run, Booker reads for a second and then reduces down to play in pursuit. You can see how quickly he closes the ground and again flashes his range as a tackler. That’s pretty special stuff, tracking down an outside zone to the field. 

Even when Booker seems uncertain of his assignment, he still shows that he will play until the whistle. He has a tremendous motor and range to make plays in pursuit. At the right of the screen, he slow-plays the play-action look but then works to the flat once the pass is completed. Booker is shot out of a cannon, finds the football, and delivers a blow in space. 

Booker also flashes natural instincts on the field. In this play, he is on the left side of the screen and quickly snuffs out the screen play. He is able to finish the play before it can get going. As Booker gains more experience, his instincts will flash even more regularly. 

The things most pressing for Booker to improve are play strength and to gain experience. Those things are easily worked on. You can’t, however, teach his athletic tools and upside. His potential is through the roof. 

CONCLUSION

The tools are all there for Booker to develop into one of the best pass rushers in the 2024 NFL Draft. His combination of length, twitch, and flexibility should translate well to the next level. He will need to continue to develop his body to become a real asset against the run, so in year one, a role as a designated pass rusher would be most ideal. By year two or three, he should be a player who can be counted on as a full-time starter. 

Projection: Third round
Depot Draft Grade: 7.6 – Potential Starter/Good backup (Third Round)
Games Watched: vs Texas (2023), vs BYU (2023), vs Kansas State (2023)