The first Alabama player is off the board. Tyler Booker was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 12 pick of the NFL Draft during Thursday night’s draft. The star offensive lineman becomes the first member of Kalen DeBoer’s first draft class with the Crimson Tide. The selection also extends Alabama’s streak to 17 straight years with at least one of its players selected in the first round.
Booker served as Alabama’s starting left guard the last two years. According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-5, 325-pound lineman led the team last season with an 86.5 pass blocking grade, surrendering no sacks and just 10 pressures over 395 pass-blocking snaps. Over 1,035 career pass-blocking snaps at Alabama, he gave up just two sacks. Along with his pass-blocking ability, Booker registered a solid 65.2 run-blocking mark from PFF last season.
Off the field, Booker was selected as a permanent team captain ahead of last season. He played a big role in keeping Alabama’s roster intact following Nick Saban’s retirement last January.
"This guy is a fantastic young man," Saban said on ABC's telecast. "I mean, smart -- and you talk about a good leader. Very physical, very tough. Gets movement in the run. That's why people like him so much. This guy's got tremendous muscle mass, which I think is very important to being a power player in the NFL."
Booker signed with Alabama as a four-star recruit in the 2022 class. The New Haven, Connecticut, native was rated as the No. 5 offensive guard and No. 111 player in the nation coming out of high school.
“Two-year starter and team captain with elite physical traits,” NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein wrote on Booker’s draft profile. “Booker is a downhill run blocker with average explosiveness into first contact, but he utilizes his size and power to overtake defenders in the second phase of the block. He can play too far out over his toes but that’s correctable. Booker is an average athlete in protection but makes up for it with technique and football intelligence to defend against twists. He’s tough, smart and a top leader. The traits, football character and play strength will make him a good starter for a downhill, power-based attack."
