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Alabama’s Foster a top-15 pick at LB
Alabama’s Foster
projected in top 15
By MIKE MCLAIN
If, as is expected, the Cleveland Browns select defensive end Myles Garrett first overall, they could face an interesting dilemma if Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster is available at No. 12.
The smart move would be to take all of two seconds and add another potentially dominant piece to the front seven.
If Foster would somehow drop to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 30, what should they do?
After saying a prayer of thanks, they should quickly add him to the mix.
The latter scenario won’t play out as most projections have Foster going off the board among the top 15 and in some cases the top 10.
Foster was a linchpin of the Crimson’s Tide defense for four seasons, which included 51 game appearances. His production took off in his junior season of 2015 and it continued to escalate last season as he recorded 115 tackles, including 13 for minus yards (five sacks).
Foster is the perfect fit for the interior and has been compared to Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers. He combines the strength at 6-1 and 244 pounds to handle the inside run game and shows the speed needed to play sideline to sideline.
Equally as impressive is Foster’s play in the passing game, where he has the speed to run with and get depth with tight ends. That’s a skill that makes him a three-down player and a certain high pick.
The Browns could go many ways with the 12th pick, including quarterback, safety or cornerback. However, the thought of adding Foster to a corps of linebackers that added Jamie Collins in a trade with New England and includes the improving Christian Kirksey might be too tempting to pass up.
Jarrad Davis of Florida should be the second linebacker picked, perhaps as early as the middle portion of the first round. Davis had a productive junior season in 2015 (92 tackles) but was limited to nine games last season because of an ankle injury. He had 60 tackles, including six for minus yards.
Davis is undersized at 226 pounds, but he’s physical and has great speed. He’s shown decent pass-rush ability but has struggled in pass coverage.
Davis might start on the outside before coaches on the next level determine if he can play inside.
“It doesn’t really matter where I go,” Davis said at the NFL combine. “Probably my rookie year I see myself as a Will, playing on the weak side and really just learning everything. I feel confident enough that I could play Mike or Will in almost any defense.”
Davis knows he has to pick up his play against the pass.
“The biggest thing is just technique,” he said. “You have to work that every day in practice. You’re not going to be able to go out and just cover a receiver or a tight end, especially in the NFL.”
Davis tried playing through the injury, which clearly hurt his production. He ended the season as a spectator.
Ohio State’s Raekwon McMillan arrived in Columbus as a five-star recruit and quickly became a leader for Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer. He entered last season touted highly after a standout season in 2015, but his stock slipped after what many believe was a sub-par 2016 season.
There’s conjecture that McMillan will fall out of the first round, which could make him a steal. The Steelers hit it big with Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier. Adding McMillan to an area that lost Lawrence Timmons in free agency might not be a bad pick.
“I wouldn’t say underdog, but moving forward we’re all great talents and you have to find a way to separate yourself,” McMillan said of his slipping stock. “My way of separating myself is getting to know the coaches and talking to them and getting on the board and showing them what I know and that I can run their whole defense.”
One criticism of McMillan is that many of his tackles came when he was unblocked. He didn’t show a consistent ability to play through blocks to the ball carrier.