Ranking SF 49ers 10 worst NFL Draft picks by John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: SF 49ers Linebacker Reuben Foster
Selected No. 31 Overall in the 2017 NFL Draft
There are some who’d argue the 2017 first-round selection of linebacker Reuben Foster should rank much higher on this list.
But hear us out for a second.
At the time, Foster had the talent to be considered a top-10 pick that year. Yes, there were both injury and off-field concerns surrounding the Alabama product. But the on-field accolades and potential impact were certainly there, and most NFL Draft experts considered it an absolute steal for San Francisco to trade back into Round 1 and grab him at No. 31 overall.
During his rookie season, Foster looked like that steal despite dealing with an early injury. For those reasons, he doesn’t quite make it towards the top two or three bad draft picks.
Things fell apart the following offseason, though, where multiple run-ins with the law and off-field issues eventually forced San Francisco to part ways with the talented-yet-troubled linebacker in November of 2018.
Fortunately, the SF 49ers were able to land Fred Warner a year later, and the memory of Foster has mostly dissipated as a result.