Reuben Foster failed drug test at combine.

[Kdawg954]

I disagree with his point. He's better than Davis in this regard, but he's still only average - not close to as good as Cunningham, with regard to instincts, probably not as good as Anthony Walker or Richie Brown. Cunningham sees it and gets it. There's no hesitation to his game, and that why, despite having to deal with more OL, his TFL numbers are better than Foster's. Foster sees it, looks at it, thinks about it, and goes. I'm being a little facetious, but the hesitation in his game is clear to see. He's a run and chase WLB. He should do well in that role, but as Kdawk said, you get that in the 2nd RD or later, and with the added risk, it's hard to justify him as a bargain.

Not to put you on the spot J-Off . . . but I'll take it back to how much you were in on Randy Gregory and that you would of taken him in round 1. Failed test at the combine and a clear first round, potential elite talent, fell into round 2 where the risk was mitigated and Dallas rolled the dice.

Fast forward 2 years later and he's been suspended like every year of his career and faces a year long suspension in 2017. I don't fault Dallas for rolling the dice in round 2 . . . his talent warranted that risk. But in round 1, unless he is a 5 year prospect like Tunsil or Kuechley . . . you better hit on those draft picks knowing you have a potential high end starter and can get him at 4 very reasonable rookie years and a affordable 5th year option.

Had Gregory been smart enough to at least not get tagged with a failed combine test he never enters that NFL program and he probably is never caught up in this mess. He smokes weed, so do many other players, but to not be clean at the combine was the ultimate red flag when it comes to player stupidity and he is paying for it dearly.

I mean does Foster really expect people to believe his water story when half of the combine is on gallons of water to present themselves at a higher weight for teams? Just his luck I guess. Nonsense.

 

[phintim]

You have to consider any player whom decides his personal drug habits are more important than his career when he gets caught during draft time. It says at least one of three things or a combination, first a possible lack of intelligence or immaturity, second a selfish individual whom values his views over others third a guy with a drug habit. Picking a guy like that means your adding another dimension of gambling to the pick. I remember Jimmy Johnson picking a running back in the draft 5th round that ended up in jail.

 

[Geforce]

Not to put you on the spot J-Off . . . but I'll take it back to how much you were in on Randy Gregory and that you would of taken him in round 1. Failed test at the combine and a clear first round, potential elite talent, fell into round 2 where the risk was mitigated and Dallas rolled the dice.

Fast forward 2 years later and he's been suspended like every year of his career and faces a year long suspension in 2017. I don't fault Dallas for rolling the dice in round 2 . . . his talent warranted that risk. But in round 1, unless he is a 5 year prospect like Tunsil or Kuechley . . . you better hit on those draft picks knowing you have a potential high end starter and can get him at 4 very reasonable rookie years and a affordable 5th year option.

Had Gregory been smart enough to at least not get tagged with a failed combine test he never enters that NFL program and he probably is never caught up in this mess. He smokes weed, so do many other players, but to not be clean at the combine was the ultimate red flag when it comes to player stupidity and he is paying for it dearly.

I mean does Foster really expect people to believe his water story when half of the combine is on gallons of water to present themselves at a higher weight for teams? Just his luck I guess. Nonsense.

This is where I find fault with the NFL or whomever are leaking such information. If they are going to leak that a player failed a drug test at the combine, they should atleast say why they failed the test, especially if a diluted sample is the same as a failed test.

 

[Dogbone34]

after sobering up (and not for long) i'm kind of moving off Foster...damn good college player but you can't fix stupid

TJ Watt or Jarred Davis are looking better everyday

 

[Kdawg954]

This is where I find fault with the NFL or whomever are leaking such information. If they are going to leak that a player failed a drug test at the combine, they should atleast say why they failed the test, especially if a diluted sample is the same as a failed test.

Foster leaked the info to teams to get a jump on the bad press of him being tagged with a failed test. We should be getting more word on any other failed tests relatively soon.

Diluted sample usually means tampering with the urine or drinking so much water or a cleansing substance to where your body is letting out more water than urine during the urination process. He may of not tested positive for anything tangible . . . but these guys and their agents are fully aware of this and pretty much know what it takes to make that happen.

 

[theOutback]

"Do an extensive background check" is such a cop out answer for people who want to push aside all of Negative stuff staring them in the face. It cannot be sugarcoated anymore than that.

Will Saban telling Gase and Grier he is a good kid make his enrollment in the NFL substance Abuse program go away? Will it allow him to have a do over at the combine where he was the only player literally ever, out of thousands and thousands, to be kicked out of it?

Truth is i am very receptive to many opinions and I certainly tussle as well . . . There is not one reason for me to cosign Miami taking him at 22 and I don't agree with anybody who thinks they should. If my disagreeing and wondering of your approval of him lies more in the my belief that there is an infatuation among him being a "name" and people feeding off his early mock hype and him being a Bama player. . . THen so be it. Doesn't mean I don't respect you it means I don't agree with you or your reasoning.

Cop out assumes they disregard any bad info they may find on him. Noone said anything about that.

People can disagree without putting others down. You probably make some very valid points, but telling others their thoughts are subjective when you yourself are doing the same thing, or telling people people they are "giddy" is just childish. I get it, you have this inflated internet tough guy thing going on, but is there any chance you might be a little less patronizing to others? That was rhetorical, no need to answer.

 

[Digital]

Highly doubt we take Foster when Gase/Grier just talked about selecting players of high character. That description doesn't fit Foster.

Very true ... but don't believe everything you hear the week of the draft. :brewskis:

 

[Travis34]

Cunningham goes in the 2nd round...book it.

Was Bobby Wagner a 2nd round pick? Was Rolando McClain a 1st round pick?

 

[Vol&dolfan]

This is where I find fault with the NFL or whomever are leaking such information. If they are going to leak that a player failed a drug test at the combine, they should atleast say why they failed the test, especially if a diluted sample is the same as a failed test.

Foster himself is the one that leaked the story he wanted to go ahead and get the info out before the draft cause he knew it was gonna get out eventually.

 

[Geforce]

Foster leaked the info to teams to get a jump on the bad press of him being tagged with a failed test. We should be getting more word on any other failed tests relatively soon.

Diluted sample usually means tampering with the urine or drinking so much water or a cleansing substance to where your body is letting out more water than urine during the urination process. He may of not tested positive for anything tangible . . . but these guys and their agents are fully aware of this and pretty much know what it takes to make that happen.

Not necessarily more water than urine but I know what you are getting at. Also a diluted sample does not mean a positive or negative results for drugs or banned substance in one's system.

 

[theOutback]

Ya I agree with you on Cunningham to some degree, but his tackling bugs the snot out of me, all arms. He does read well and no hesitation but imo Foster is better. I don't see a lot of hesitation.

 

[Kdawg954]

Cop out assumes they disregard any bad info they may find on him. Noone said anything about that.

People can disagree without putting others down. You probably make some very valid points, but telling others their thoughts are subjective when you yourself are doing the same thing, or telling people people they are "giddy" is just childish. I get it, you have this inflated internet tough guy thing going on, but is there any chance you might be a little less patronizing to others? That was rhetorical, no need to answer.

My use of the word subjective was to emphasize that not all years and their top 10's are created equal. One guy can be a top 10 pick in one draft but may not even be looked at as a first rounder in another. You are the one that called my entire post subjective.

As for being giddy . . . it was literally the best adjective I could think of when watching people get excited about a prospect that failed a drug test for the most important job interview he will ever have . . . in which he had 4 years of advanced notice on. Again I have apologized for underestimating the varying sensitivity levels that are on this board.

As for being an inflated internet tough guy, I think your usage of that entire phrase makes you a pretty tough guy in your own right so we'll just agree to disagree and I apologize for not using more caution with my verbiage.

 

[j-off-her-doll]

Not to put you on the spot J-Off . . . but I'll take it back to how much you were in on Randy Gregory and that you would of taken him in round 1. Failed test at the combine and a clear first round, potential elite talent, fell into round 2 where the risk was mitigated and Dallas rolled the dice.

Fast forward 2 years later and he's been suspended like every year of his career and faces a year long suspension in 2017. I don't fault Dallas for rolling the dice in round 2 . . . his talent warranted that risk. But in round 1, unless he is a 5 year prospect like Tunsil or Kuechley . . . you better hit on those draft picks knowing you have a potential high end starter and can get him at 4 very reasonable rookie years and a affordable 5th year option.

Had Gregory been smart enough to at least not get tagged with a failed combine test he never enters that NFL program and he probably is never caught up in this mess. He smokes weed, so do many other players, but to not be clean at the combine was the ultimate red flag when it comes to player stupidity and he is paying for it dearly.

I mean does Foster really expect people to believe his water story when half of the combine is on gallons of water to present themselves at a higher weight for teams? Just his luck I guess. Nonsense.

Yep, I made the mistake of liking the guy. Everything I read about Gregory was that he was a quiet, humble, hard-working guy, who struggled with a condition and self-medicated with herb. The problem is that the league doesn't care if you have a good reason, and they don't judge if you deserve a little leniency, at least, given your condition. If you watch his Nebraska tape, you can't tell me of another more team-oriented player than Gregory. He fought just as hard on plays where he was asked to read the tackle, and likely knew he wouldn't get a TFL or sack, as he did on obvious passing situations. I still like the player and the person a lot. I don't know enough about his situation, given his condition, to say whether or not he was stupid for failing the initial test or any test after it.

I don't know about Foster's situation either, but I do know that your bottom line is correct. Most of the NFL smokes weed, so once you get caught, and you're in the program, you either give it up, or you're ****ed. If you're not in the program, you get all kinds of notice - just like these players did at the Combine. That was definitely a learning experience for me.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Personally I do not believe smoking weed or whatever is a character issue. Smoking and posting a failed drug test at the biggest job interview of your life subjecting you to rules that make it extremely difficult to smoke weed is the issue. Saban can say he was a model citizen and all that good stuff it doesn't take away from the stupidity of Foster. Not to mention getting kicked out of the combine. . . I mean who does that lol . . . Rueben Foster does.

I think he falls out the first round.

I think this post gets to the truth of the matter more than any other. Reuben Foster is the best LB prospect in this draft. Period.

But here's the deal, he brings with him some stuff off the field that makes you uncomfortable. If the NFL isn't able to corroborate his story for the diluted sample, then the Auburn tattoo won't even be in the top 5 stupidest things he's done if he continues down this road. Fact is, Foster has many of the same red flags Rolando McClain had in terms of the company he keeps and surrounds himself with. McClain was just never able to distance himself from the negative influences. Keep in mind I was on the opposing sidelines many times and watched the police take the ankle bracelet off McClain's ankle on Friday nights before games. That said, Foster does have better football character than McClain had.

Furthermore, coach Saban is going to speak well of Foster because he's just being honest. He's never had a moment's trouble out of Reuben, and knows where he comes from and the baggage he carries. Kids like McClain and Foster had off field issues since they were teenagers. Yet you never hear a peep out of em when they get to Tuscaloosa under Saban. They become team leaders and model teammates. As soon as they're not under his guidance anymore, it seems they tend to lose their way again. There's a reason for this.

The point is this, just because Saban can reach these guys and never have a minute's trouble out of em doesn't mean their next coach in the NFL who can "coach grown men" won't. That applies to every single prospect in the draft. Many of these kids have a lot of off field issues in their past. Many much worse than anything Foster has (Dalvin Cook for example)

Saban nailed it about Foster when he said that if you're looking for a nice guy, Foster probably isn't for you. But if you want a real nasty, intimidating SOB to bust ball carriers asses and lead your defense....well you might like #10.

It's up to NFL personnel people to do the job they're paid to do here and research to make the right decision. What Saban says is irrelevant. He got what he needed out of Reuben Foster. Now it's somebody else's responsibility to do the same.

 

[Digital]

He sure the hell is fun to watch!

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/...5f4996978d9023ec532e7b33d4c03a6a&action=click

Yes it is fun to watch. But you know what all of those clips have in common? Reuben Foster is unblocked in each of them. That video shows a solid tackler and a fast guy who takes good angles to the ball, and delivers a solid hit tacking through the ball carrier. But, not one stack and shed. All free runs into the hole and free runs at the ball carrier. Given our pure gap penetration scheme, there will be none of those situations if he plays for the Dolphins. Yes, he is an excellent talent.

But as Sons of Shula has pointed out, he will not be able to do those things in our scheme. We don't have the dominant talent at every position that Saban has at Alabama. We don't play college kids, we play grown azz men who are professional and know how to block. His game will look nothing like that if he becomes a Dolphin.

Could he become the next Singletary or Lewis? Maybe ... but he needs to be in the right scheme where he is protected by colossal space eaters to excel like he did in college. Very few teams run those schemes any more because of the current NFL emphasis on quick short passing. Today everything is the Suh and Aaron Donald mold of ultra-quick penetrators.

IMHO, we need to get a pass rusher at 22. If we don't, then we should take Lamp. I just don't see Foster as the answer ... and I feel the same about using 22 on Jarrad Davis or Zach Cunningham or Raekwon McMillan.

I doubt Foster is off our draft board despite what Gase said. But, I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't draft him either.