30 Days of Colts' Fits: Thomas Booker, DT, Stanford

The 2022 NFL Draft is officially just a month away. In order to help you all along until draft day, I decided to start a daily prospect spotlight series to talk about some players that the Colts could target next month.

The players mentioned in this series will be players that I have either heard that the team is really high on, or are players that just make way too much sense for the team based on fit/past draft history.

Next up on the countdown to Draftmas is Stanford defensive tackle Thomas Booker.

Background

Booker is a former four star recruit that chose to attend Stanford over offers from North Carolina and Notre Dame. He was immediately rushed into action as a true freshman, appearing in 11 games in his first year on campus.

From there, Booker just continued to rise throughout his collegiate career. He was named Pac-12 All-Freshman Team member after his solid opening campaign. He followed that up with his career-best sophomore season, where he totaled eight tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks. He earned All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention team honors for his 2019 year.

As a junior in 2020, Booker began to show his skills on special teams. He blocked two extra points on the year, which helped him earn All-Pac 12 First Team honors as a special teams player. He followed that up with All-Pac 12 Second Team honors as a senior to finish up his successful career.

For all of his accolades on the field, Booker was most known for his success off the field and in the locker room. He was a two-time Team Captain at Stanford, and he took on a leadership role with the team very early on.

He was a three-time Pac 12 All-Academic Honor Roll student at Stanford and was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America first team. He was a finalist for the William V. Campbell trophy in 2021, which is an award given to the college player that best combines community service, academics, and on-field performance in a season.

He was also invited to participate in the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl following his final season of play.

NFL draft name that's bubbling up a bit:

Stanford DT Thomas Booker

* fast combine 40 (4.93)
* strong interviews
* football, personal IQ ++
* versatile DL
* 3 blocked kicks
* good stamina (67 snaps/gm)
* not much NFL talent on Stan D

Still likely early Day 3 but name to watch
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) April 11, 2022

Size/Testing Numbers

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 301 pounds

Arm Length: 33 1/4 inches

Testing Numbers: 40 Time: 4.95 seconds / Broad Jump: 110 inches / Short Shuttle: 4.41 seconds / 3-Cone: 7.33 seconds

If you ever wondered how ridiculously cerebral the battle between DL and OL is, listen to this segment of our chat with Stanford DL Thomas Booker.

The little things are EVERY thing. pic.twitter.com/3BAHlGW6Xe
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) February 1, 2022

Ability on Film

Booker is an elite mover for a player of his size. He is explosive off of the snap, and he could excel in a defensive scheme that allows him to be aggressive off of the ball. He shoots gaps with great quickness and finesse on the interior.

This clip below is a good example of how slippery he can be. He gets a good jump off of the ball and shoots the 'A' gap before the right guard can really react. He disrupts the run play early and creates a negative rush play for the opposing offense.

As a pass rusher, there is still a lot of untapped potential in Booker's game. It is a bit concerning that a four-year starter could never truly put it together, but all of the traits are certainly there. He just needs more refinement in this area of his game.

When he is able to use his athletic gifts, things usually turn out well for him. Here, Stanford has him lined up as a defensive end on the play. He explodes downhill and disrupts the play in the backfield, forcing the quarterback to step up into a sack. Reminder that this is a 300+ defensive tackle on this play.

Fit with the Colts/Team Interest

While the Colts aren't in need of a starter along the defensive front, they could still use some quality depth on the interior. Outside of Dayo Odeyingbo as depth (who will likely split time between 3-tech and defensive end), the team is super thin on the interior.

Booker could be the perfect day three addition to sure up the depth on the inside. He fits exactly what the Colts want out of their defensive tackles, and he boasts some great upside. He is the high-trait type of player to take a swing on with a day three selection.

The Colts do have a pre-draft visit scheduled with Booker, so there is certainly some interest in this special athlete.

Overall, Booker is a high-upside player that would fit well with the new direction the Colts are going along the defensive front. If he is there in round four or five come draft day, he is a pick that makes a ton of sense.

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