NFL Draft rumors: Reuben Foster’s stock has “dropped dramatically”
By Matt Conner
Reuben Foster continues to have an unimpressive offseason leading up to the NFL Draft. Will it be enough to knock him out of the first round?
Reuben Foster is, on most draft lists and big boards, considered to be the most talented linebacker available in the 2017 NFL Draft. He’s a beast in the middle who comes with the pedigree of having played for Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Unfortunately instead of riding high on a rock-solid draft stock, Foster continues to take multiple hits to his character leading up to the draft.
It’s hard to tell what is a smokescreen employed by other teams to get Foster to slide and how much of it is just a really troubled person, but Foster needs a new agent or PR team in place. Earlier this offseason, he got kicked out of the NFL Combine for getting into an altercation while waiting on his medical check.
Most recently, Foster had a positive drug test, or at least one reported test that was “diluted,” which is treated as a positive test. He will begin life in the NFL on the league’s substance abuse program, but Foster, to his credit, has been firm and confident in his defense, saying the test was a false positive of sorts after drinking lots of water and Gatorade trying to flush a sort of sickness from his system.
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NFL Draft analyst Tony Pauline says Foster’s stock has “dropped dramatically” in recent days, and it will be interesting to see just how far he falls. Pauline writes:
"The news of his failed/diluted drug test from yesterday was the icing on the cake. One team was ready to take him in the middle of Round 1 but has backed off. I’m told it’s a combination of what’s described as “horrible behavior” as well as concussion issues."
Foster was largely considered a top 10 pick in the draft before the drama ensued this offseason, so it will be interesting to see if he’s available when the Chiefs, who have a huge need at inside linebacker, come up on the clock at No. 27. Even more, what if Foster is available in the second round? That would be a no-brainer of a choice for the Chiefs.
Foster had 115 tackles and 5 sacks last year for the Crimson Tide.