Austin Booker

Chicago Bears

Pos EDGE

Updated October 8, 2026

Compare Austin Booker EDGE rankings →

Model Score

75.0 MODEL

2024

67.5

2025

73.3

2026

75.0

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

Tier 8 (#113) rookie to tier 8 (#63) sophomore is a 50-spot one-year jump for a 5th-round pick but still inside the tier 8 floor. The Minnesota-to-Kansas Big Ten/Big 12 pedigree plus the rotational pass-rush reps gives him basic developmental foundation. The 2026 question is whether Booker crosses into tier 6-7 territory or whether the structural tier 8 ceiling caps at rotational depth.

Booker came out of Kansas as the Chicago Bears' 5th-round pick (144th overall) in 2024 after transferring from Minnesota and earning All-Big-12 honors. The Bears used him in a rotational pass-rush role across his first two seasons. His STTM career runs tier 8 (#113) rookie to tier 8 (#63) sophomore, a 50-spot year-over-year jump that's still inside the tier 8 floor.

Strengths

50-spot year-over-year improvement from tier 8 (#113) rookie to tier 8 (#63) sophomore shows real developmental trajectory.
Kansas Big 12 plus Minnesota Big Ten pedigree gives him real college foundation for a Day 3 pick.

Concerns

Two straight tier 8 finishes caps the realistic 2026 ceiling at rotational depth or low-end starter.
Chicago's broader defensive identity transition (multiple new coordinators) compresses the structural support around Booker's development.

What to watch: Whether Booker crosses into tier 6 (top 50) in 2026, the threshold for confirming the developmental trajectory continues.