NFL Draft
12/1/24
6 min read
Tyler Booker 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Alabama Crimson Tide OG
Height: 6050 (unofficial)
Weight: 325 lbs (unofficial)
Year: Junior
Pro Comparison: O’Cyrus Torrence
Scouting Overview
Alabama Crimson Tide offensive guard Tyler Booker projects as a powerful starter at the NFL level. His raw mass is impressive, and the power in his hands allows him to shine as a tone-setting presence on the interior.
Booker shines on inside run concepts, both as a puller and on vertical releases, to generate movement at the point of attack. Booker can solo 4i and 3-tech alignments and create wash to blow open holes in the running game. As a pass protector, he has tackle length and influence to go with a heavy anchor thanks to ideal weight distribution throughout his trunk and core.
He can continue to grow and develop with the nuances of pass protection and passing off rushers with his linemates to avoid leaky protection and take the next step with his game. In all, this two-year starter has a notable ceiling for a team ready to invest in power for their interior front.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Has heavy, heavy hands that create a lot of jolt and movement with first strikes
- Very difficult to play through with power rushes on account of his mass and center of gravity
- Produces very good movement in the run game once attached to A-level defenders
Negatives
- Lateral mobility and range on outside run concepts leave him exposed to LBs running overtop of his climb to second-level
- Struggles with consistency in passing off twists and stunts to sustain pocket
- Does not have the most dynamic foot speed to mirror in isolation versus speed
Background
Booker arrived in Tuscaloosa from the IMG Academy by way of New Haven, CT. Booker was ranked as a prized 4-star recruit (247 Sports) and one of the top overall offensive line recruits in the country. At IMG Academy, he played right tackle on the same line as future Alabama teammate JC Latham. Offering NFL bloodlines courtesy of his uncle Ulish (Pittsburgh Steelers, 2005-2006), Booker looks every bit the part of an NFL offensive lineman.
Booker chose Alabama for college play over Georgia, Florida, and Ohio State. He played sparingly in 2022 as a freshman before earning a starting guard job in 2023. Booker earned First-Team All-SEC honors during his true sophomore season and resumed his position as a starter for the Crimson Tide in 2024. Booker started one game at tackle in 2024 in addition to his role at left guard.
Tale Of The Tape
Booker is a heavyweight offensive lineman who offers a ton of punch power and physicality at the point of attack. Teams looking for tone setters will gravitate towards his hulking frame, functional strength, and power through his hands.
He’s shown the ability to play tackle in a pinch, with one start there in 2024, but he should be considered an interior player who can swallow up defenders at the point of attack. Booker is capable of completely enveloping non-dynamic talents up front and offers the functional strength to still create push in 1-on-1 opportunities against big bodies inside.
Booker is a standout player with double teams — teams that run duo will undoubtedly love his ability to create space inside. He offers impressive leverage despite a taller frame for the interior and has the ability to roll through contact and explode into bodies. This aids his consistency in generating positive gains on the line of scrimmage, whether it comes in a double team or when absorbing a first-level defender on his own. Booker is sufficiently fluid when working off of doubles to fit onto the second-level linebacker. He achieves this despite modest foot speed and more than makes up for it with his wingspan and reach.
When he gets his hands fit on a defender, he’s usually effective in sustaining the block and sucking the defender into his immediate vicinity. His grip was not frequently broken in close-quarters combat.
Booker illustrates a desirable anchor in pass protection thanks to his leverage and how well he offsets head-up pass rush charges with his hands. This is not the player to go toe to toe with, and assume you’ll run straight through him to collapse the pocket.
His ability to mirror when facing a 3T on a short set is sufficient and protects him from getting hip to hip and being put into recovery mode in protection. His bigger issues protecting the quarterback come with uneven levels and late diagnosis of 2- and 3-man stunt games up front. He can be late to deliver a first-arriving rusher to his center or late to slide his feet after his eyes pick up a looper that is crossing back across his momentum. These issues are partially chemistry-related and, amid a new scheme in 2024 with the arrival of Coach Kalen DeBoer, are somewhat understandable.
Booker is athletic enough to play and reach some ambitious landmarks, but functional athleticism is not going to be a hallmark of his game. He’s shown the hip mobility to pull and kick the end in power or counter reps or, alternatively, get outside of pin blocks and try to lead his quarterback outside the numbers on some quarterback run designs.
His ability to climb uncovered to the second level is modest and faster. More instinctive linebackers could run over his area of influence and be uncovered playside on the second level.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Tyler Booker projects as an NFL starter for teams that look to create vertical movement in the run game. Booker’s athleticism doesn’t make him a universal player, but his length, power, and grip strength to sustain blocks at the fringes of his wingspan afford him a floor in pass protection that should get him on the field and see action early.
Despite his experience of intermittently playing at tackle, he should be considered a guard-exclusive talent in the pros, barring emergencies due to injuries along the line.
Grade: 80.50/100.00, Late First/Early Second Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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