Reuben Foster, linebacker, Alabama
A supreme talent, Foster enters the 2017 NFL Draft with some serious red flags, and not all of them are off-field related.
Foster reportedly got some bad news at his combine medical re-check, which indicated surgery he had in February to repair rotator cuff damage might not have done the trick. If his shoulder doesn’t heal soon, another surgery could be coming, per the report.
That, by itself, likely wouldn’t be enough to keep Foster from still being drafted in the top half of the first round. His blazing speed and instincts as an inside linebacker, not to mention the countless plays he made at Alabama, have scouts drooling over his pro potential. But his off-field issues have recently become a huge issue that will almost certainly shove him out of the first round. And this is a guy who was being mentioned as a top-five pick before the combine.
Then Foster erupted at a medical worker at the combine, resulting in him being tossed out of the annual event. He also failed his drug test at the combine and reportedly has some issues in his past that have been uncovered during the past few months.
Nobody wants to draft the next Rolando McClain, so it’s very likely Foster is going to be watching Thursday’s first-round action without hearing his name called.