The Chicago Bears Make Two Picks On Day 3 Of Draft

Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles pulls off two surprises on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. He selects a punter and trades for an edge rusher.

On Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles pulls off two surprises. After going with offense with the first three picks, he decided to take punter Tory Taylor with the 122nd overall pick. Then, when we all thought he was done, he traded back into the draft and selected edge rusher Austin Booker in the fifth round.

There were no mock drafts that had the Chicago Bears choosing a punter. After taking three straight offensive players, many speculated that Poles would then go after a center or tight end. Instead, he went with Taylor.

Taylor was not only the first punter taken in the draft he was also the first special teams specialist taken. Additionally, he was only the second punter taken within the first 125 picks in five years. Mitch Wishnowsky was chosen 110th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 2019.

Taylor has a booming leg. In 2023, he had 4,479 punting yards, an NCAA record for a season. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt. His big leg allows the Chicago Bears to flip the field. In 2023, he had 32 punts inside the 20, 29 fair catches, and 7 touchbacks.

Taylor will now compete with Trenton Gill for the punter job. While Taylor had 4,479 yards in 2023, Gill has 6,126 yards in two seasons. Gill has also had trouble trying to pin opponents deep in their territory. That has not been a problem for Taylor.

Poles was not finished just yet

With only four picks in the draft, people figured the Chicago Bears finished making their picks. Poles had another surprise up his sleeve, however. He made a trade and got back into it.

Poles got back the fifth-round pick he gave to the Buffalo Bills in the trade for Ryan Bates. This time, he gave up a 2025 fourth-round pick to move up. With that 144th pick, he selected edge rusher Austin Booker.

Aside from quarterback, edge rusher was a big need for the Chicago Bears. They had Yannick Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker as the starters last year. Then, in the middle of the season, Poles sent a second-round pick for Montez Sweat.

Sweat reinvigorated the Chicago Bears pass rush. The defense was more aggressive and that resulted in more pressures. That pressure forced quarterbacks to make mistakes. The secondary feasted on those mistakes.

In the 2023 regular-season finale, however, the Green Bay Packers showed how badly the Bears needed another edge rusher. With Ngakoue out due to a broken ankle and DeMarcus Walker not being effective, the Packers sent a bunch of bodies at Sweat. That slowed him down enough for Jordan Love to carve the secondary.

The Chicago Bears do not want that to continue so they needed someone to take attention away from Sweat. Poles, however, did not address that position until late in the draft.

Do not expect Booker to be a starter right away, though. He is still just 21 and learning the position. He redshirted his freshman season, played in just six games (as a reserve) in his second season (due to a limited number of games due to COVID), and started only one game in the 12 he played in 2023.

Despite that, he put eye-opening plays on tape. While he only had one start, he led the team with 12 tackles for loss and had 8 sacks. At 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, and with about 34-inch long arms, Booker has great length for the position. He has room on his body to add more mass as well.

When you look at Booker on film he shows a player who looks like an old pro at the position, not one with just 18 career games with one start. He has a variety of rush moves that is unheard of for someone with such little experience.

Booker can ride and dip to get away from blockers. He can also beat them inside or with a great spin move. Also, he has the agility and burst to chase down quarterbacks and running backs. He uses his length well, using his arms to get around would-be blockers. Additionally, he could put his arms up and bat away passes.

Poles finally found an edge rusher. However, it could take a year before the Chicago Bears could depend on him to become a starter. He still needs to develop, as he has only 505 total snaps in his career. However, he has an abundance of talent and could be a star once he gets more experience.