Indianapolis – Tyler Booker from Alabama has never had the chance to see his uncle playing football at university or NFL, but he benefits from his mentoring.
Booker, one of the best offensive line prospects for this year, said on Saturday how his uncle, Ulish Booker, a guide throughout his trip to the League. Ulish, who played the NFL for the last time with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006, was an offensive line player at Michigan State under Bobby Williams and John L. Smith.
“He was retired before my birth, but he helped me a lot to cross this process by telling me some of his experiences, what to expect, what is to be in a locker room, and really how to go through the ups and downs of football,” said Booker.
“It’s super precious to have someone who has this experience and someone who is close to you – someone who will give it to you directly. And he has always drawn me straight, so I am very grateful to him and all his knowledge. »»
Booker laughed by telling journalists that his uncle made him look at the protruding facts of his state days of Michigan during Thanksgiving. Seeing the film, Booker noticed that his uncle was just as dominant when he was in Alabama.
As good as Ulish was in the eyes of his nephew, he was not drafted in 2003. This will not be the case for Tyler Booker.
At 6 feet 5 inches and 325 pounds, Booker’s setting and physical game made him a force in Alabama. He won two All-Sec honors and was a first All-American team last season.
This curriculum vitae put it on the radar of the Strait Lions.
The Lions, on the market of an interior offensive line player, met Booker last week at the NFL Scouting combined in Indianapolis.
“This meeting went well,” said Booker. “I really enjoyed it, and I am happy to put the guys from Alabama.”
At the NFL level, Booker said that any team that would write it would get a high -level contributor to pass protection, both to block and identify the defensive patterns. He credited his preparation throughout the week for these forces.
“I really have to be proud of the way I prepare for the games and the way I prepare the waterfalls because it is something that has really flowed. Everyone does the waterfalls on Sunday, and they enter the match plan for Saturday at the University. So, I prepare for these, and I can’t wait to really intensify as a pass protector. »»
It should be noted that Booker thinks that it can improve in the protection of passes. Professional football focus gave him a blocking note of 86.5 assists last season. It is one of the best grades given to this harvest of offensive line players in the project.
Beyond her skills in the field, the Crimson Tide star said that the coaches were impatient to find out about her leadership style.
“They are really interested in my leadership – that’s something I heard about all the teams I talked about. They want to see how my leadership will be integrated into their program and how I will be comfortable leading in the room while being the youngest guy, “he said. “My answer to everyone was that I had to gain the right to lead.
“What I mean by that is that I’m not going to enter the first day and start saying a 33 -year -old man with two children, a woman and a mortgage what to do – it’s just unrealistic.
“But I will learn from him and all others in the program to see how I can contribute as a leader. And once I started playing, once I target myself in this starting program, it is then that I will start to direct and really take over from this point of view. “”
