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Report: Some teams would not draft Reuben Foster due to shoulder injury

Reuben Foster is one of the NFL Draft prospects who needs to have a big pro day

When Reuben Foster was still on the board at No. 31, the San Francisco 49ers pulled off a bold move to land him in a trade. He’s a guy John Lynch said he’d take at No. 3 overall if the Chicago Bears had taken Solomon Thomas at No. 2 following the trade that ultimately led to Mitch Trubisky landing in the Windy City.

However, it was awfully strange that Foster was still on the board at No. 31 to begin with. But more information has come out on that front to explain the reason.

Confirming a report we covered in which Foster’s health was a concern, ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided this explanation:

“Despite surgery on his right rotator cuff, Foster’s right shoulder was worrisome enough that some teams did not consider drafting him,” Schefter wrote. “‘The surgery didn’t take,’ said one well-placed source with knowledge of the injury.”

This is exactly the same information we passed along before the draft.  At this point, it’s feared Foster might need a second surgery to repair his rotator cuff because his initial surgery in February didn’t fix the problem.

Lynch spoke about Foster’s health recently, however, noting the 49ers are comfortable with what their doctors have found regarding the shoulder. He’s been a huge fan of Foster’s since well before the combine, gushing about his sideline-to-sideline speed and nasty disposition on the field.

Time will tell whether Foster’s shoulder becomes a long-term problem. If he can stay healthy, and if his off-field issues are a non-factor, then the 49ers will have landed one of the best players in the draft at the end of Round 1. If not, then Lynch will have to answer for misreading the situation.

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