First round draft picks aren’t supposed to be “steals.”
A steal, by definition, is a player selected with a low draft pick –or acquired as an undrafted free agent– who outperforms expectations.
That’s why Reuben Foster, the linebacker the San Francisco 49ers drafted with the 31st overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, doesn’t have a chance to become a traditional steal.
Foster’s talent was unquestioned, his run-stopping skills unparalleled by his 2017 draft peers, and his ability to lay devastating hits on opposing ball carriers widely praised. Yet even with all of the accolades Foster racked up playing for college football’s top program, Alabama, 30 picks passed before Foster was selected in this year’s draft.
Significant concerns about a potentially chronic shoulder injury coupled with an early exit from the NFL Combine due to reports of an argument with a hospital worker helped the red flags pile up, and sent Foster tumbling down draft boards.
But as NFL training camps come to a close, and the preseason winds down, Foster has put himself in position to become one of the great steals of this year’s draft.
Like Robert Nkemdiche, who was drafted with the 29th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss, NFL evaluators considered Foster a top-10, and perhaps even a top-five talent in the draft pool. Both players, however, scared teams off, until the Cardinals selected Nkemdiche last year and the 49ers traded back in to the first round to grab Foster this year. At some point, talent rises above, and both franchises determined that Nkemdiche and Foster were worthy of a gigantic risk.
In his rookie season, Nkemdiche played in just five games, registering one tackle. At this point, it might come as a surprise if Foster doesn’t surpass that total on the first defensive series of the 49ers’ season.
On Sunday evening in Minnesota, Foster showcased for a national television audience the elite run-stopping and play-making talents that could make him one of the 49ers’ best defensive weapons, and one of the top linebackers in the league as a rookie. Foster was all over the field against the Vikings, logging a game-high eight tackles including this crushing hit on Minnesota receiver Laquon Treadwell.
There goes that man again. @ferrarifoster with another big hit. #SFvsMIN pic.twitter.com/Fkj9ZE8lLB
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 28, 2017
Foster isn’t just a big hitter, either. He has excellent speed to the perimeter and has clearly demonstrated the ability to chase running backs in coverage, which he did on the first play of the game against the Vikings.
Boom ? @ferrarifoster #ReubenFoster #49ers #NFL #Bama (check my Instagram for much more) pic.twitter.com/65iP246RnZ
— 49er_Edits (@49er_edits) August 28, 2017
“It seemed like he had a number of tackles,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I want to say he had about eight. The first play was real neat, that’s usually the one I see the best. That was the first play of the game, the first series, I like how he set the tone with that hit. I want to say it was a loss of five, got them into second and 15 and every time I looked up it seemed like he was around the ball so I know he had the tackles with it. The eye test looked good, we’ll see on the plane when I get to watch a little closer.”
What makes Foster such an intimidating presence at the WILL linebacker position in the 49ers’ defense is his knack for dissecting plays and redirecting toward the ball. Those skills are especially critical for a weak side linebacker, because players at that spot on the field are often tasked with shutting down cutback lanes, tackling in the open field, and chasing after receivers leaking out of the backfield. Through the first three games of the preseason, Foster has proved he’s capable of handling all facets of his role, which should vastly improve a 49ers defense that was the league’s most porous against the run last year.
Foster has the skill set to make the 10 players around him better because he understands his roles, reads and responsibilities so well, but he’s also the beneficiary of the talent he’s surrounded by. In new defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s 4-3 scheme, Foster and strong safety Eric Reid are able to lock down opposite sides of the field, which gives the 49ers’ two sure tacklers and defensive stoppers who have a nose for the football.
Reid finished with two tackles on Sunday night, and Foster said he and Reid have been able to motivate one another on the field.
“I was feeding off my boy, man,” Foster said. “Seeing him get a big hit, then you want to go more and I wanted to go hard.”
Unlike Nkemdiche last season, who rarely saw the field because of poor practice habits, Foster is a late first-round pick who has already established himself as an every down player. Even in nickel situations, when linebacker NaVorro Bowman exits the field for an extra defensive back, Foster stays on to help the 49ers on obvious passing downs, which underscores the rare athleticism he has for his size.
After the 49ers acquired Malcolm Smith this offseason, it appeared as though Foster would have to wait his turn before taking on a premier role in the 49ers defensive scheme. But after an injury to Smith that will sideline him for the entire 2017 season, and a fantastic training camp from Foster, San Francisco doesn’t appear to have any reservations about Foster becoming a defensive headliner.
The talent has always been there, but Foster’s quick assimilation to the NFL is showing why dozens of decision-makers could ultimately regret passing on the unanimous first-team All-American coming out of college. While the 49ers may have to juggle concerns about Foster’s shoulder at some point during a rigorous 16-game season, Foster is out to prove his red flags were worth overlooking.
By definition, a steal is a player selected with a low draft pick. And even though Foster still made it into the first round, he has the playmaking skills to prove that the 31st pick was indeed too low.