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Who is Rams 5th round pick Brooks Foster?
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Most everyone knows the backgrounds of the top picks in the NFL Draft but where teams have long term success is getting production from later round picks. With the Rams having such a shallow talent pool they are in desperate need of having their later round picks produce immediately. This week we will look at all of the Rams later round draft picks. We have already looked at 3rd round pick Bradley Fletcher and 4th round pick Dorell Scott this week. Today we look at Rams 5th round pick Brooks Foster, wide receiver out of North Carolina.
WHY THE RAMS SHOULD HAVE DRAFTED FOSTER: The 6'1 211 lbs wide receiver from North Carolina is a tremendous athlete. On top of having good size and speed he is apparently a workout warrior. The North Carolina Tar Heels Examiner Brian Ernst says that Foster "is a beast in the weight room and has set most of UNC's lifting records, even those typically held by linebackers and lineman." On top of his workout acumen he was also a very good basketball player. He was a walk-on basketball player for the Tar Heels when they won the National Championship in St. Louis in 2005. So he does have some good history in the Edward Jones Dome.
WHY THE RAMS SHOULD NOT HAVE DRAFTED FOSTER: His production at North Carolina was nothing to write home about. Foster had 30 catches for 334 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2008. Part of the explanation for that was that UNC had two high end wide receivers on their roster in Hakeem Nicks (picked in the first round by the NY Giants) and Brandon Tate (who was selected in the third round by the Patriots). So there was a lot of talent at UNC but there is a lot of talent in the NFL too. Foster also has a history of knee problems. He had a knee injury at the end of the season and also had difficulties with his knee at the Senior Bowl. The other concern I have also comes from Brian Ernst who says "that he would make an unbelievably athletic catch and then drop a gimme." That is concerning to hear as well.
WHAT WILL MAKE THIS PICK A SUCCESS: This pick will be a success if Foster can get into the Rams offensive flow at some point in the season. I believe that if Foster could become a factor in the red zone on "jump ball" passes, creating mis-matches with smaller defensive backs that he could be a real asset. My assessment is that if Foster can somehow become a player that catches about 25-35 balls and rack up about 300-400 yards in the 2009 season then this would be a real get for Billy Devaney and the Rams.
WHAT WILL MAKE THIS PICK A DISASTER: The pick becomes a disaster if Foster cannot make it on a squad that currently has a three deep of Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, and Derek Stanley. This is easily the easiest roster to make at wide receiver in the NFL so Foster has every opportunity in the world to translate his athletic ability into becoming a serviceable NFL player.
Brooks Foster is a very intriguing pick to me. He is clearly a tremendous athlete that appears not to have reached his peak on the football field. The Rams need someone desperately to come out of the woodwork at wide receiver this season to perform beyond expectations. Maybe Foster is that player?
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