LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Stanford defensive lineman Thomas Booker was drafted on Saturday by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the 150th overall pick. Booker joins QB Davis Mills, who was selected by the Texans in the third round of the 2021 Draft.
"I'm so excited for Thomas Booker!" Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw said. "He's starting his career with Lovie Smith, one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. I know he will be a great addition to the defense, to the locker room and to the Houston community!"
A native of Ellicott City, Md., Booker graduated from Stanford with a degree in economics and a minor in communication. He carried a 3.88 grade-point average and became Stanford's fourth, two-time first-team Academic All-American, joining Don Stevenson (1975-76), John Bergren (1981-83) and Christian McCaffrey (2015-16).
A captain on the field, Booker finished fifth on the team with 59 tackles a senior, the high mark for a single season in his career, while adding five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Booker was named second-team All-Pac-12 in 2021, a season after earning first-team honors on special teams and second-team recognition defensively.
A member of the 2022 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society, Booker was a finalist for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy – affectionately known as the Academic Heisman. He was also a Senior CLASS Award first team honor and was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Honor Roll all three times he was eligible.
For his career, Booker totaled 158 tackles, 20.5 TFL and 10 sacks. Late in his Cardinal career, he became best-known for his versatility along the defensive line, often playing at every position throughout the course of a game.
Booker became the fifth Cardinal drafted by the Texans all-time (Brandon Harrison, 2007 fifth round; Justin Reid, 2018 third round; Peter Kalambayi, 2018 sixth round; Mills, 2021 third round).
