2025 NFL Draft prospect profile – Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama

Will Booker’s athleticism be a problem in the NFL?

The New York Giants likely need a long term solution for their right guard position, and there isn’t a better guard prospect in the draft than Tyler Booker out of Alabama.

Booker is big, long, and powerful, all of which is plain to see on his tape. But what really stands out about him is his football IQ and leadership ability. He’s renowned as the leader of the Alabama offensive line and one of the primary leaders in their locker room.

The problem? Booker is a very limited athlete and could be one of the least athletic linemen drafted in the first round. Will his positives outweigh the concerns regarding his athleticism? Or could he possibly slide to the Giants at 34th overall?

Prospect: Tyler Booker (52)
Games Watched: vs. Georgia (2024), vs. Tennessee (2024), vs. Missouri (2024), vs. LSU (2024)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte | RAS.football

Strengths

Best traits

• Size
• Arm length
• Play strength
• Competitive toughness
• Run blocking

Tyler Booker is a massive, and massively powerful, guard prospect.

He has prototypical size for a guard in a power offense at 6-foot 4 ⅝ inches, 321 pounds, with 34 ½ inch arms. He has a thick, powerful lower half but also surprising flexibility. He’s able to maintain a wide base and solid knee bend to maximize his leverage and anchor against power.

Booker is a wrecking ball in the run game and is able to distort the line of scrimmage when blocking downhill. He plays with good leverage, getting under defenders’ pads and using his play strength to dig them out of gaps. He also understands positioning and does a good job of controlling defenders and rotating them out of holes when he can’t simply overpower them.

His play strength and football IQ show up in pass protection as well. Booker is able to easily anchor against bull rushes and is usually able to sustain his blocks for as long as necessary.

Booker is best described as a “functional” athlete, and he has smooth, unhurried feet. He doesn’t move with great quickness, but his arm length and ability to anticipate delayed pressure or stunts allows him to compensate for poor lateral mobility. He’s able to cover enough ground to block the A and B gaps, and generally does a good job of putting himself in position to pick up pass rushers.

Booker also plays very well with his teammates and does a great job of working off of double teams or passing off defenders to neutralize stunts and twists.

Weaknesses

Worst traits

• Athleticism

The biggest flaw in Booker’s game is his athleticism – or rather, lack thereof.

Booker is slow, lacks quickness and agility, and his balance can be suspect. All of that limits his game in several notable ways. His play speed degrades dramatically if he has to move more than a few steps. There are instances where the play passes him by before he even gets into position as a puller, or he holds up his teammates in outside zone.

Booker can also struggle against athletic defenders, particularly when he fails to anticipate their actions. He can find himself lunging when forced to quickly redirect or move laterally against an athletic blitzer. He’s often able to compensate with excellent mental footwork and anticipate where he’ll need to be. However, if he has to move suddenly, he can trip or sacrifice his leverage.

Game Tape

(Tyler Booker is the Alabama left guard wearing number 52)

Projection

Tyler Booker projects as a starting guard with Pro Bowl upside in the right system.

Teams that run zone-based blocking schemes or who routinely ask their blockers to stress defenses laterally could look elsewhere, perhaps at one of the tackles who will be sliding inside. Booker is a limited athlete and will likely need to land in an offense that uses a very high rate of man-gap or inside zone principles in their blocking schemes. And even then, he shouldn’t be asked to pull regularly.

That said, Booker should be a starter immediately upon entering the NFL and could play at a high level for the next decade if he lands in the right environment.

Does he fit the Giants?
Yes

Final Word: A first round talent.