Tyler Booker, G Alabama: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Booker was a five-star recruit from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in the class of 2022

Alabama guard Tyler Booker is a young, developing prospect who has a good chance to be the top guard in the 2025 NFL Draft. He still needs to refine his hand usage and tweak his balance to see if he can improve his lateral agility.

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Tyler Booker, G Alabama: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior guard from New Haven, Conn.

Background: Booker was a five-star recruit from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 57 recruit (four-star) according to 247Sports, No. 111 for Rivals (four-star), and No. 30 for On3.com (five-star). ESPN ranked him 11th (five-star) in the nation with a 91 grade out of 100. Booker attended Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, N.J. as a freshman before transferring to IMG Academy. He was a MaxPreps First Team Freshman All-American. Booker started on IMG Academy’s 2020 team that went 8-0 and won a high school national championship. He also played some fullback in high school. Booker’s uncle, Ulish Booker, played football at Michigan State and won a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The older Booker spent time in NFL Europe with the Amsterdam Admirals, winning the 2005 NFL Europe World Bowl XIII.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed 2023 USF game with back spasms

Awards: 2022 SEC All-Freshman Team, 2023 Second Team All-SEC, 2023 First Team All-SEC (Associated Press)

Pros: Experience playing left and right guard, only penalized three times in two years, thick trunk and base, defenders struggle to play through his frame, wide base in pass pro helps re-anchor vs. power, hands and pad level help establish leverage against rushers, hand placement in pass pro grew tighter throughout 2023, wins reps when he lands the first punch, block framing showed significant improvement in 2023, patiently picks up stunts, had some good reps vs. Mason Graham (2023), stays low when uncoiling from stance in the run game, uses leverage to seal or displace defenders, generates movement on down blocks, sealed T'Vondre Sweat to create B-gap run lanes (2023), good mover on gap runs, GPS guides him to targets on gap runs, comfortable climbing inside to the second level, overpowering force when he reaches the second level

Cons: Arm length doesn’t appear to be anything special, pulled off balance in pass pro, chest gets over knees, inconsistent balance, hand usage is still a work in progress, carries hands away from frame in easy to swipe position, hands lack pop, hand lack violence, hands fall off too easily and are slow to replace, hand resilience and balance in the run game, foot speed tested when defenders push vertical vs. outside shoulder, footwork and agility tested to his outside shoulder, late to redirect laterally in pass pro, doesn’t diagnose second level blitzers pre-snap consistently, Michigan sent stunts and blitzes his way often (2023), not a true mauler in the run game, caught leaning in the run game, occasionally lunges into run blocks, stacked and/or shed in the run game by Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham (2023)

Overview: Booker has experience playing right guard, but he primarily aligns at left guard for the Crimson Tide. He has a thick trunk and base that make it difficult for defenders to play through his frame. His wide base and well-built frame help him re-anchor and stop power rushers in pass protection. Booker’s hands and low pad level allow him to establish leverage on pass rushers. There’s limited hope for the defender to win the rep once Booker digs in and gets underneath them. The All-SEC selection’s hand usage is far from polished, but his hand placement grew tighter throughout 2023. His block framing also improved significantly throughout the course of his sophomore year, making it easier to contain defenders within his frame. Booker often wins reps when he lands the first punch. For a young player, he picks up stunts well. Michigan shook Booker up a bit with stunts and extra blitzers, but the Connecticut native handled his business well for most of the year. He's still learning to diagnose pressure looks pre-snap and identify threats from the second level. Booker had several strong reps in the passing game against Michigan star Mason Graham in the College Football Playoff (2023), although his overall performance was inconsistent. In the run game, Booker stays low as he uncoils from his stance. The former five-star recruit takes advantage of his leverage and size to seal or displace defenders. He generates good movement on down blocks and has the power to contend with mountainous defenders like Texas’ T'Vondre Sweat. Despite his size, Booker is an impressive mover on gap runs who lands a high percentage of blocks when pulling or climbing to the second level. Unfortunately, he isn’t a true mauler in the run game. Booker suffers from inconsistent balance and is often caught leaning on run blocks. He also occasionally lunges, making it easier for defenders to slip his blocks and fly into the backfield. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant for Michigan had success stacking and shedding Booker’s blocks in 2023. The IMG Academy product appears to have solid arm length for a guard but nothing special. His chest extends over his knees in pass protection, making it easy for defenders to pull him off balance. Booker’s hand usage is still developmental. He carries his hands too far away from his body, making them easy targets for defenders. His hands lack pop and violence and fall off blocks too easily. Booker is slow to replace his hands when they slip off blocks or lose their positioning. Several defenders found success testing his outside shoulder in 2023, beating him vertically and applying pressure on the quarterback. This calls into question Booker’s lateral agility and foot speed.

Overall, Booker is a thickly built guard with impressive movement skills to execute gap run assignments, and he displayed improved hand usage and block framing across the course of his sophomore season. Booker’s hand usage still has a long way to go. His agility, balance, and footwork in pass protection also raise occasional concerns. These are common issues for younger players, but Booker must show improvement in those areas to reach his ceiling as a prospect.  

Role & Scheme Fit: Left guard in a gap or inside zone scheme

Round Projection: Second Round

Size: 6'5", 335 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 03-03-24