Tyler Booker is making waves, and you know what that means? Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama has got a chance to turn up the heat for the 2025 draft, folks! The offensive lineman has already set a high standard, proving himself at the NFL combine. Yes, he has done his part, and the rest is up to his luck. Turns out that the stars are also aligning in Booker’s favor. How did that happen? 

Well, the Kansas City Chiefs have pulled out a UNO reverse that had cost them $23.4 million. At the same time, it did clear the road ahead for Booker, landing him in the first-round berth. 

College football analyst’s bold prediction for Tyler Booker

A multi-year starter, Booker has been one of Alabama’s top offensive linemen. Not just this, he did catch some gold stars being one of the best guards in college football. Last season, he recorded a team-high 92 knockdown blocks (7.1 per game) across a team-leading 778 snaps of play. Under DeBoer, Booker had started all 13 games, including 12 at left guard and one at left tackle, and graded out at 92.3 percent for the season. His latest feat at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis has been a grand one as well. The results? 40-yard dash in 5.38 seconds, 21 reps of bench press, 10-yard split in 1.96 seconds, and so on. Analyst Tod McShay predicted what the future of the NFL has in store for the offensive tackle. “This guy is going high Tyler Booker, guard Alabama.”

Booker comes off as a great package. As McShay stated, “The general manager that drafts Tyler Booker knows that they’re going to get one of the elite guards in the NFL for a decade.” His stats do all the talking, folks! Against Western Kentucky, Booker helped the Tide rack up 600 yards of total offense. However, his heroic feat came during the face-off against Georgia. He helped Bama’s offense rack up 547 yards against the nation’s top-ranked defense. The analyst had sounded an alarm that the decision would invite a lot of booing.

“But they’re also going to sleep like babies…they know they just got a starter who’s going to be a great player and is going to bring that kind of level of attention to detail and team leadership,” assured McShay. On that note, analyst Stephen Muench predicted, “He might be the second offensive lineman off the board.” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Booker going 18th overall in the first round. Now how is his luck favoring?    

NFL free agency shuffle clears Tyler Booker’s path to pro success

There has been a deadline for NFL giants to tag their players until March 4, 4 pm EST. Well, this season marked the fewest number of players that the franchise tagged. The last time only two players were tagged was in 1994. This offseason, only Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tee Higgins and Kansas City Chiefs OL Trey Smith received the tag. Well, the Chiefs’ goal has been to have a strong offensive line after the Eagles ragdolled them in Super Bowl 59.

So they thought of re-signing Smith. Sadly, they could not manage to sign a long-term deal with the guard. At the same time, they did not want the athlete to leave via free agency. So the only option left was to tag Smith, which came with a cost of $23.4 million for the 2025 season. In that way, Booker’s road ahead to the NFL looks all clear. Since Smith came off as the hot target for the Chicago Bears, they could pursue Booker. 

But if not…it’s still looking good for Booker!

Now, the Bears are looking at a future without their starting center and both guards from last season. All three players, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, and Matt Pryor, are set to enter free agency. Now suppose they return two of them; there will still be a starting opening. In the pro league, Chicago has the highest pass-to-run ratios. In that way, Tyler Booker’s grade as a pass-blocking guard will be the ideal missing piece in their offensive puzzle. Same story with the Colts. Will Fries is hitting free agency, and they’ve got a gaping void to fill on the offensive line, especially at center. With this, his NFL journey begins—and he’s bringing Bama pride with him.