Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Photos
HEIGHT: 6’3 3/8
WEIGHT: 301
HAND: 10 5/8″
ARM: 33 1/4″
40-YARD DASH: 4.94
3-CONE: 7.33
SHUTTLE: 4.41
VERTICAL: DNP
BROAD: 9’2″
POSITIVES
— Plays with correct pad stage before all the pieces and does well to combat to preserve it.
— Pretty scrappy player. Hands initiate as a lot as prompt after his initial punch.
— Above-sensible upper-body energy. Will not be going to enable OL into his chest and purchase preserve watch over of him.
— Swiftly toes and decent agility. Moves all the plot in which thru the road of scrimmage with out many hiccups.
— Total tested better than his movie showed, which implies he has extra capacity.
NEGATIVES
— Fundamentally leisurely reacting to the snap and doesn’t explode out of his stance. Awful combination for getting off the ball.
— Can win all over when initiating contact. Takes himself out of plays.
— Has immediate toes, however normally struggles to resolve himself down and catch a consistent rude.
— Under-sensible lower-body energy. Has some considerations anchoring against the bustle to boot to generating push as a pass-rusher.
2021 STATISTICS
12 G, 59 TOT, 5 TFL, 1 SK, 1 PD
NOTES
— 4-giant name DE recruit in 2018. Got here out of excessive college at 290 pounds.
— Significant contributor and/or starter for four seasons.
— Heavy special teams contributor throughout his time at Stanford.
— 2020 and 2021 2d-group All-Pac-12.
— 2020 and 2021 group captain.
OVERALL
Thomas Booker is a spirited-made rotational interior player with the athletic capacity to turn into something extra down the road.
Booker’s ultimate traits are his pad stage and upper-body energy. Thanks partly to his sensible top, he consistently plays with correct leverage and doesn’t enable offensive linemen to win underneath him with out hassle. He moreover does well to preserve that leverage after contact and continue to combat for that positioning.
Booker is likewise scrappy with his hands. On occasion that will likely be to a fault, as he does in overall are inclined to win wild upon his engagement and his initial punch normally suffers this capacity that. As soon as engaged, nonetheless, Booker presentations stuffed with life hands and does well to reside in map to advance support off blocks. Pair that with his decent circulate abilities and immediate toes, and he has ample to compose himself work as a competent bustle defender.
With that acknowledged, Booker’s lower body is an project upright now. For one, he fails to advance support off the ball well. Segment of that is his leisurely response to the snap, however he moreover upright doesn’t explode out of his stance in a map that strikes distress in any opposing linemen. Moreover, Booker tends to combat against mountainous, powerful linemen who forklift him out of the formulation. He’s going to must add some heft in the NFL.
For now, Booker is a rotational defensive linemen who can play either 3-tech or over the address. He can gain with quicks, pad stage and overall feistiness. With that acknowledged, Booker will must translate his NFL combine athleticism to the self-discipline, to boot so that you just may well maybe add some energy in his lower body, earlier than being in a position to transition to a starting role. Booker will likely be a favorable teams standout and depth defensive lineman early in his career while working to liberate his athletic capacity.
GRADE: 6.3 (High-stage Developmental Prospect – Fifth Round)
PRO COMPARISON: Lawrence Man
Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen