Will Reuben Foster be the next Vontaze Burfict for the 49ers?

Impact playmakers at inside linebacker are hard to come by, but the 49ers think they’ve found one in former Alabama standout Reuben Foster, trading up to select him with the 31st pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

The former five-star recruit’s stock surged with a stellar 2016, highlighted by his leadership on a juggernaut Crimson Tide defense that ranked first against the run, in total yardage, and scoring.

A diluted sample at the NFL Combine and unrelated dismissal from the event, however, make the selection of Foster a gutsy move. The linebacker is one of the more talented players in this year’s draft class, but his list of concerns has grown over the past couple of months.

For the year, Foster recorded 115 tackles, including 13 for loss, five sacks, and two passes defended. He was a force against the run, clamping down on opposing ball-carriers in Alabama’s historic season of defensive dominance.

Why did 49ers pick Foster?

Foster is the latest in a long and fairly successful list of Alabama linebackers selected in the early rounds, a group which includes Reggie Ragland, C.J. Mosley, Dont’a Hightower, Courtney Upshaw, Rolando McClain, and DeMeco Ryans.

But Foster, a unanimous All-American and Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top collegiate linebacker, might be the best of the bunch.

Aggressiveness

Some might grimace at a Vontaze Burfict comparison, but the parallels are there. Burfict plays on the edge, and similarly, Foster’s on-field aggressiveness is rare in today’s NFL. It’s a ferocity that is hard to match, with an alpha-dog mentality capable of elevating an entire team when things are going well. Foster is also an efficient blitzer, as evidenced by his seven career sacks at Alabama.

The linebacker’s aggressiveness is apparent in how he takes chances, whether it’s shooting into gaps to hitting pulling linemen and finishing tackles with a boom. Foster plays with swagger, and he has the talent level to back up his style.

Athleticism

Teams rarely select inside linebackers near the top of the draft. But when they do, it’s often due to a player’s unteachable traits. Foster has such gifts, boasting an ability to run with running backs and cover ground from sideline to sideline.

This athleticism allows him to take chances. And when he does, he often brings the wood, and he loves doing it, too.

“There’s that moment,” Foster said in an interview with The MMQB, “when you first hit somebody and you get chills. You hear the crowd say Ooooh. And before that, when you put on your suit and you transform and you become a dog; you’re a beast. Just seeing all the other guys become a dog with you. No stress.”

Are there any concerns with Foster?

Remember that Burfict comparison? Here’s where things come full circle. Burfict has been to the Pro Bowl. Foster has the same potential, maybe even more. But it comes with plenty of concerns.

The on-field concerns vary, but the most prominent is style of play. Being a vicious hitter comes at a price. Trying to rattle off big hits, Foster has shown tendencies to drop his head, which can lead to major injuries. With some past issues regarding stingers, medical concerns are at the top of the chart in terms of risks for the standout linebacker.

An aggressive play style can come with repercussions in today’s NFL. Foster’s hit on Deshaun Watson in the National Championship, for example, drew a flag that could’ve potentially resulted in harsher punishment had it occurred in the NFL.

Foster’s dismissal from the NFL Combine will linger as a conversation point for the early portion of his career, even if he ends up being a solid player. He was arguably the combine’s biggest loser, giving teams potential reason to question his character and attitude. Even for a guy who loves the game, question marks like the ones he left teams at the combine are hard to overlook.

Why does Foster have an Auburn tattoo?

Good question. Foster verbally committed to Alabama in 2011 but changed his commitment to Auburn in 2012. The linebacker dressed his daughter up in Auburn gear as he made the announcement and even got a tattoo of the school’s logo before changing his commitment back to Alabama in 2013.

How Foster fits with 49ers

The Niners are essentially devoid of talent on both sides of the ball. Foster would have probably gone much earlier in the first round had the combine issue and the diluted sample not caused his stock to plummet before the draft. As long as he can stay healthy and the off-field concerns don’t interfere, he should be a quality addition for a San Francisco defense that needs it.