Report: Reuben Foster’s draft fall due in part to shoulder surgery that ‘didn’t take’
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Seeing former standout Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster fall all the way down to the No. 31 overall selection during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft came as a surprise to many. According to some with knowledge of his medical history, however, the fall was not a surprise at all.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, after being asked to leave the NFL Combine without having a chance to be fully evaluated by the league’s medical personnel on hand in Indianapolis to inspect potential draft prospects, several league teams were not comfortable selecting Foster without having full knowledge of his shoulder’s health.
Adding on to the lack of knowledge regarding Foster’s offseason shoulder injury, which required surgery, one person with knowledge of the situation gave a negative outlook on the offseason procedure. Per Schefter’s report:
“The surgery didn’t take,” said one well-placed source with knowledge of the injury.
It will be interesting to see what contribution San Francisco gets from Foster this season. If he’s healthy enough to play, it’s hard to imagine he isn’t a Day One starter for a team that went 2-14 last season. He could potentially be the steal of the first round, of course, should his shoulder need further medical attention and he can’t play this season, Foster’s first round fall will make much more sense to those of us surprised on draft night.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
