2017 NFL Draft: Could Reuben Foster Slip to Miami Dolphins?
Will recent events drive Reuben Foster down to the Miami Dolphins in the 2017 NFL Draft?
It seems like every year there is at least one player who is waiting much longer than expected to hear their name called at the NFL Draft. Aaron Rodgers took the plunge. Brady Quinn did too. It even happened to future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp. It's happened to the benefit of the Miami Dolphins several times, including Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.
Even as recently as last year's draft, the Miami Dolphins benefitted from a player taking such a tumble. Offensive tackle prospect Laremy Tunsil was thought of as a surefire top-five selection in the 2016 NFL Draft. But thanks in large part to a (presumably) old video posted to a hacked social media account, Tunsil fell into the Dolphins lap at No. 13. History could be repeating itself this season with standout linebacker Reuben Foster.
Throughout most of the draft process, Foster, the linebacker from the University of Alabama, has been thought of as a top-10 pick. Then at the NFL Combine, Foster had an incident with the medical staff and was sent home early. This incident was thought to be a hit to his draft stock, but not a major one. Still a top-10-15 selection.
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Then news broke last week that Foster had also "failed" a drug test at the NFL Combine. Foster reportedly submitted a diluted sample, which by the NFL's testing standards is a positive result, per NFL.com. Foster will, pending a re-test, be in the league's substance abuse program with whomever decides that these incidents are worth the risk. Could that team be the Miami Dolphins at No. 22?
From a fan's perspective, this would be almost the ideal situation for the Dolphins to find themselves in on Thursday. The team has several needs on both sides of the ball, but none bigger than at linebacker. Lawrence Timmons signed with the Dolphins in the offseason, but he's a stop-gap player brought in to mentor the young guys. Young guys like the ones who will be drafted this weekend.
Who better for him to mentor than Foster? Foster is hands down the best linebacker prospect available in this draft. There are a lot of good ones — Haason Reddick, Zach Cunningham, Jarrad Davis, just to name a few — but he's is the cream of the crop. He has pretty much everything you look for from a linebacker, and has enough talent to play inside or outside. His natural position is inside at middle linebacker, but he could move outside and challenge Koa Misi.
Drafting Foster doesn't come without its risks, though. Foster has an injury history that will raise red flags with some teams. His medical checks at the Combine did not go well. There are differing opinions on how the medical re-check went. If you believe his agent, he's ahead of schedule on the healing process (per CBS Sports), and others stating he may need further shoulder surgery.
Then you throw in the news of the diluted drug test. It's a lot for a team to take in. So the question is this: If Foster is there at No. 22, do the Dolphins take him?
I think the answer to that is a resounding yes. The team has stated many times that they are going to trust their draft board and take the best player available, regardless of positional need. Now ,obviously there's going to be some flexibility with that, but the team of Gase and general manager Chris Grier stuck to that principle last year and landed Laremy Tunsil.
So far, the Miami Dolphins front office hasn't given the fans any reason not to trust them. Come Thursday, if he's still available, I expect to hear: With the 22nd pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins select Reuben Foster, linebacker from Alabama.