A pair of NFC West opponents have struck a deal. The San Francisco 49ers traded up to the No. 31 pick held by the Seattle Seahawks to draft Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster.
With the 31st pick in the #NFLDraft, the 49ers select @ferrarifoster! 💪
Welcome to the family! #49ersDraft pic.twitter.com/2zYfvpRAK2
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 28, 2017
Foster was certainly a highly regarded talent entering the draft. But a shoulder injury, as well as a diluted drug test, did a lot to diminish his draft stock.
The Seahawks acquired the second pick of the second round (No. 34 overall), as well as a fourth rounder (No. 111 overall).
We've made another trade. We've sent #Pick31 to the @49ers for a 2nd and a 4th. #SeahawksDraft pic.twitter.com/r2AR7K3pMz
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 28, 2017
It’s hard to argue too much with either team’s haul on this one. The 49ers’ run defense often resembled a hockey team on a 5-on-3 penalty kill throughout 2016. So, an impact player was going to be necessary.
It’s hard to grade Seattle’s haul until we know what they get. But given that the Seahawks traded back only three picks, it’s fair to assume that they’ll get similar gotten that they would have gotten by staying at 31.