One-Year Wonder Pass Rusher Visits Packers

Without Kingsley Enagbare to start the season, the Green Bay Packers could be looking to bolster their pass rush. Kansas’ productive Austin Booker could be an answer.

Austin Booker gets a sack against Kansas State / Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA

 

The Green Bay Packers could be looking to add another pass rusher.

Austin Booker is taking a predraft visit with the Packers, according to Easton Butler.

In what’s now the defensive end room, the Packers are in good shape with Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness and Preston Smith as their top three in the rotation. Behind those men, however, things are dicey with Kingsley Enagbare set to miss the start of the season following the torn ACL sustained during the playoff victory at Dallas.

Undrafted free agent Brenton Cox was rostered all of last season but only played a few snaps. Without Enagbare for the playoff game against the 49ers, he was inactive in favor of another undrafted rookie, Keshawn Banks.

If general manager Brian Gutekunst is interested in Booker, here’s a closer look at the things he could find.

Who Is Austin Booker?

Booker is a one-year wonder after transferring from Minnesota to Kansas, but his skill-set is projectable and he’s just scratching the surface.

At Minnesota, Booker redshirted in 2021 and had zero sacks and two tackles in 2022. He transferred to Kansas for 2023 in hopes of boosting his NFL stock under former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater coach Lance Leipold.

“He’s got a strong arsenal of pass rush moves, despite not playing a ton of college football, said Brendan Dzwierzynski, sports director for WIBW Radio in Kansas. “He isn’t a RAS darling, but his athleticism shows up better on tape than it does in shorts. Booker has to bulk up at the next level, but I think he’s a really high-upside pass rusher.”

ESPN’s Mel Kiper agreed. On the First Draft podcast, he said, “He’s just scratched the surface of what he can be in the National Football League.”

Interestingly, Booker did not start for Kansas last year, but that has not been a drawback for Gutekunst in the past. He drafted Van Ness a season ago despite Van Ness never starting at Iowa.

Booker drew an interesting comparison from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, who compared Booker to Las Vegas Raiders superstar Maxx Crosby.  

Crosby’s traits were questioned at times coming out of college, causing him to slip to the middle rounds of the draft. Booker could have a similar upside, which would be a massive gain for the Packers’ pass rush.

How Would Austin Booker Fit With Packers?

Booker weighed 240 pounds at the Scouting Combine but was up to 253 pounds for Kansas’ pro day.

Gutekunst typically has valued bigger edge players. He signed Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith to huge contracts in free agency, then drafted Gary and Van Ness with first-round picks. Booker is more in the mold of Enagbare from a size perspective.

While there is a new defensive scheme with coordinator Jeff Hafley, Gutekunst isn’t going to stray from his preferred traits.

“I think I’d prefer bigger guys on the edge,” he said at the NFL Annual Meeting last month. “What I don’t want to do is get small. I think you’ve seen some of these 4-3 teams with the way they play, particularly in some of the sub-packages, where they may move ends inside. They can get small in a hurry and I don’t want that to happen.”

If drafted by the Packers, Booker would have an opportunity to be the team’s fourth player on the edge and contribute on special teams.

For the short term, Booker could be a third-down pass rusher. In the long run, Preston Smith is the oldest player on the roster so the Packers could start looking toward the future.

Round Projection for Austin Booker

Booker is considered a potential Day 2 pick. He’s ranked 86th on mockdraftable’s consensus big board. That lines up almost perfectly with the Packers’ two picks in the third round, set to be at 88 and 91.

At The Athletic, Dane Brugler listed Booker as his No. 9 on the edge and a third-round prospect. Brugler noted Booker is “lacking body mass and overall experience” but is “an ascending player.” His 4.77 in the 40 was mediocre but his 33 7/8-inch arms are among the longest in the edge class.

Booker could be someone they look at if they’re looking at a different type of pass rusher to add to their edge room, but since he is not big or overly athletic, the Packers might be able to use one of their four picks on day 2 to acquire him.

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