Mike Mayock: LB Reuben Foster could slide, but probably not to Lions

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Alabama's Reuben Foster is considered the top linebacker in the class, but could fall because of some red flags. Could he fall all the way to 21?

(AP File Photo)

ALLEN PARK -- Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster has always been a vicious, take-no-prisoners hitter. But then he dropped a bunch of weight last year, and suddenly he could fly too.

Just like that, he went from a very good player to the leader of the nation's No. 1 defense. He was the Butkus Award winner as the nation's top linebacker, a unanimous All-American and a consensus top-10 prospect in the NFL draft.

Then the red flags started piling up.

Foster was kicked out of the combine after a spat with medical personnel. Then word leaked he failed a drug test there too. Throw in the history of shoulder injuries, and suddenly people started wondering how far he might fall next week.

That's of particular to the interest to the Detroit Lions. Their linebackers were dreck last year, and of the six who started a game, one was cut (DeAndre Levy), one was traded (Kyle Van Noy) and a third wasn't re-signed (Josh Bynes). Tahir Whitehead is back and Paul Worrilow was signed off Atlanta's bench, but even GM Bob Quinn acknowledges linebacker remains a huge need heading into the draft.

So some started to wonder whether Foster -- the most talented 4-3 linebacker in the draft -- could actually fall all the way to the Lions at 21. The team even hosted him on a pre-draft visit to Allen Park.

But NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock warned it's not likely.

"I don't see him falling all that far," Mayock said Friday on a conference call with reporters. "I think he's a top-20 pick all day long in any draft. He had been a top 10 pick, and he might still be a top 10 pick."

Foster's red flags include shoulder issues at Alabama, especially early in his career because of some sloppy tackling technique. Then he was sent home from the combine because of the hospital dispute, and it was later reported he failed a drug test because there was too much water in his urine.

But Mayock says too much is being made of the hospital incident, and the other stuff isn't enough to sink his stock, at least to the point where he'll be available to Detroit at 21.

"I think the combine incident has been wiped clean by almost every team," Mayock said. "I think that was way overdone, and the kid should not have been sent home. That's my opinion, and most people in the league believe that. As far as the diluted sample at the combine, that's always really disappointing. It has to be taken into consideration."

Complicating things for Foster is his issues have coincided with the swift rise of Haason Reddick. The Temple standout played on the defensive line in college, but began rising after moving to linebacker at the Senior Bowl and then solidified his place in the first round by dominating the combine.

If either player is available to the Lions at 21, he'll be considered heavily. If not, the Lions could look to a player such as Florida's Jarrad Davis, who possesses the speed Quinn craves to defend the pass -- a sore point last season for Detroit's linebackers.

But Quinn also said he won't force the issue if the right player isn't there, and is willing to draft a defensive end or even an offensive player, depending on who's available, and then target linebackers in the subsequent rounds.

"I think it's prudent to take the best player available because if you pass over a great player, no matter what the position, I think you're always going to look back and probably regret that," Quinn said.

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