Just 12 months ago, Reuben Foster was viewed as the consensus top linebacker in the 2017 NFL Draft. Aside from a medical-related altercation at the NFL Combine that led to the 2017 Butkus award winner being sent home early, Foster was viewed as a clean prospect off-the-field as the incident was seen as a one-time occurrence that wouldn’t lower his draft stock.
The primary concern facing Foster was his injury history as he was often banged up while playing for the Crimson Tide. When the First-Team All-American fell to the 31st overall pick, concerns over a bad shoulder were cited as the reason.