The San Francisco 49ers made a risky move to trade back up into the first round to select Reuben Foster at No. 31 overall. The move was risky because the Alabama product has a shoulder issue that might end up requiring a second surgery.
On Thursday head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted the issue could leak into Foster’s rookie campaign.
#49ers Kyle Shanahan on @KNBR on Reuben Foster’s shoulder: “Our doctors felt good about his shoulder.”
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) May 4, 2017
#49ers Kyle Shanahan on @KNBR on Reuben Foster’s shoulder: “The worst-case scenario is he wouldn’t be able to play for us right away.”
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) May 4, 2017
This news comes one day after a report emerged that some teams saw Foster’s shoulder issue as severe enough that they took him off their draft boards.
Shanahan additionally admitted, “You never know who is going to be right.” And though he expressed confidence the injury isn’t a long-term issue, he didn’t rule out the possibility this it could impact Foster’s rookie campaign.
Rookie general manager John Lynch loves Foster’s game. He said after the draft that, if Chicago had selected Solomon Thomas at No. 2, the 49ers would have taken Foster at No. 3. That’s how much the 49ers value this kid’s ability to play inside linebacker.
How this plays out will have a big impact on how Lynch’s ability to assess talent and risk is viewed around the league. Needless to say, we’ll be watching with great interest to see if Foster ends up being a boon to the 49ers or a big bust in the next few seasons in San Francisco.