Chicago traded its 2025 fourth-round pick to Buffalo during…
Chicago traded its 2025 fourth-round pick to Buffalo during the 2024 draft to reacquire No. 144 and select edge defender Austin Booker. That future fourth became No. 109, which Buffalo used on defensive tackle Deone Walker. Both teams turned the exchange into young defensive contributors, but Walker's immediate starting role gives Buffalo a slight edge.
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 2025 4th round pick (109th overall, Deone Walker )
Chicago Bears Received
- pick 2024 5th round pick (144th overall, Austin Booker )
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Chicago wanted to get back into the 2024 fifth round and sent Buffalo a 2025 fourth-round selection for No. 144. The Bears used No. 144 on Austin Booker. One year later, the future choice landed at No. 109 and Buffalo selected Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker. The trade therefore became a clean prospect-for-prospect comparison separated by one draft cycle.
Buffalo's Return
Waiting a year paid off quickly for Buffalo. Walker played all 17 regular-season games as a rookie in 2025 and started 16, recording 39 tackles and earning substantial defensive work in the middle of the Bills' front. A fourth-round pick becoming an immediate full-time starter is a strong result, especially when the original cost was a late fifth-round selection.
Chicago's Return
Booker also made the Bears' move defensible. He developed from a fifth-round developmental edge into a contributor and recorded meaningful pass-rush production, including 4.5 sacks in 2025. Chicago accelerated the timeline by getting its preferred prospect a year earlier. That matters because the Bears did not simply burn a future pick; they acquired a young defender who earned a role.
Value in Hindsight
This is one of the tighter trades in the wave because both clubs can point to a useful young player. The distinction is role and acquisition cost. Buffalo turned a fifth-round slot into a future fourth and then landed a 16-game rookie starter. Chicago paid the time-value premium to secure Booker immediately, and Booker's development keeps that premium from looking reckless.
Final Verdict
Buffalo Bills Win. Buffalo receives a B+ because the delayed fourth-rounder became Deone Walker, an immediate starter with meaningful rookie impact. Chicago earns a B because Booker has developed into a real edge contributor and justified the aggressive move back into the draft. Both teams found value, but Walker's early starting workload gives Buffalo the stronger result.