The comparisons between Chicago Bears rookie edge rusher Austin Booker and Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby have been evident for a bit. Booker, who was selected by the Bears in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, was compared to the star pass rusher coming out of school by NFL analyst Lance Zierlein. What’s more, he’s now coached by Travis Smith, who was with the Raiders when they selected Crosby in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Smith has been the Bears defensive line coach since the 2022 season.
Those comparisons and coaching connections only made it that much more likely that Booker and Crosby would connect in some way at some point in time. It turns out that has already happened.
Booker met the media on Saturday following Day 2 of the Bears rookie minicamp and revealed he and Crosby have communicated. “We train in the offseason with the same guy, Javon Gopie, and he just connected us,” Booker said. “He called me after I got drafted, just letting me know I can reach out whenever I have a question or any type of thing like that because he obviously has a great process how he does things because he’s able to compete at a high level. Having that resource has just been great.”
#Bears rookie Austin Booker says he's already been in contact with #Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) May 11, 2024
Crosby and Booker both came into the NFL as mid-round picks with long, yet slim, frames for defensive ends. The Raiders star was able to hone his craft and become one of the best edge rushers in the last couple years, totaling 27 sacks and 45 tackles for loss since 2022.
Of course, it’s not fair to expect the same from Booker, but having Crosby as a sounding board on how to adapt to the NFL game will only benefit the rookie. Booker is a raw prospect who had just one year of production in college. He totaled eight sacks and 12 tackles for a loss in 12 games for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Having Crosby as someone he can communicate with, along with his new teammates like Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker, should only help Booker’s development as he gets going. If Booker can even have a fraction of Crosby’s production, this will turn out to be a solid pick for general manager Ryan Poles.
