Pro Football Focus listed San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster among its list of nine 2017 first-round draft picks primed for a big sophomore campaign in 2018.
"Though injuries prevented him from putting together a full 16-game season, Foster still wowed when healthy," wrote Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus, "as he earned an elite 90.7 overall grade across 553 defensive snaps and landed at No. 59 on our list of the top 101 players from the 2017 season. Foster specifically excelled against the run, ranking tied for fifth in run-stop percentage (11.2) and fourth in run-defense grade (90.9).
"Suspended for the first two games of the 2018 season, Foster will be dearly missed at the start of the year, but for as long as he keeps injuries and off-field issues at bay, the sky's the limit for Foster in this league."
As stated by Gayle, staying healthy will be vital to Foster's success during the upcoming season. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area shared the same concerns about the linebacker's aggressive style of play potentially taking its toll on Foster's health.
"The 49ers, when they drafted him, they saw a guy who could just crush people running sideline to sideline," Maiocco said on KNBR this week. "He's just a dominant force on defense, and I would expect him to be exactly that (when he returns against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3).
"To me, the big question is: Can he stay healthy? He plays with that kind of reckless type of mentality. I don't know that there was a game all of last year where he didn't get banged up in some fashion. He's got to stay on the field. To me, that's the main thing.
"He's going to be a great player when he's out on the field. He's going to make plays. He's going to wow you with his athletic ability. He just has to find a way to limit the damage that he does to himself because you know he's going to be doing some damage to the guy with the football."
Maiocco also addressed the off-the-field concerns surrounding Foster. He believes that once the young linebacker is surrounded by the structure of an NFL season, he will be fine. That structure disappears during parts of the offseason when coaches are not allowed to be in contact with players. While Foster was vindicated of his more serious offseason charges, the 49ers beat writer would like to see the NFL star make better decisions going forward.
"Stay in the Bay Area," Maiocco said. "Stay around guys like Richard Sherman. Stay around guys like Malcolm Smith. The 49ers had no issues, no problems with Reuben Foster during the season last year, but it was after the season (when the problems started). What he needs is structure and a lot of guys need structure in their lives."
You can listen to the entire interview with Maiocco below.
