2019 UDFA Jerald Foster is a 6-3, 310 lb guard from Nebraska that may become a valuable asset with some polishing

When I Googled for information about Offensive Left Guard Jerald Foster, I predictably got few returns. After all, journalists don’t write much about offensive linemen unless they are among the most dominant in the country, and Jerald Foster is not in that class of player.

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He was interviewed briefly following his pro-day at Nebraska.

Former Nebraska offensive lineman Jerald Foster felt good about the three-cone drill. He was good with how most of the Pro Day drills turned out, actually.

Just not the 225-pound bench press. Not when linebacker Luke Gifford — his teammate at Nebraska and Lincoln Southeast — did him one better.

“I got 22, Gifford got 23,” the two-time NU captain said. “Pissed me off a little bit. ... That one hurt my heart a little bit.”

Foster, who started all 12 games at left guard last year, said he felt his entire class of outgoing seniors performed well for NFL scouts. He said he has already been classified as a high-priority free agent by pro teams.

“I’m guessing that hasn’t changed from a couple drills,” Foster said. “But it was a good day.”

I don’t get the sense from that brief excerpt that Foster has the alpha dog mentality that one associates with dominant NFL linemen. That said, he did start 12 games at left guard for the Nebraska Cornhuskers last season, so he’s got some skills.

To find out just how strong those skills are, I turned to film analyst, James Fitzgerald.

James FitzGerald (@GMDfitz7765) is a former college player, high school coach, and an avid college football fan who has spent hours in the film room watching opponents and his own teams. His analytical skill adds depth to these profiles that I can’t supply on my own.

Let’s see what he has to say.

Fitz’s film review

Film Watched: Nebraska v. Wisconsin and Minnesota

The most important positive thing to know about Jerald Foster is that he is a strong technician. His pass pro technique is top notch. He keeps his weight back and has a strong strike and gets into pass pro quickly. He moves his feet rapidly when preforming a down block. He also pulls and gets to his block quickly.

Foster plays strong on the field. I would be interested in finding out how much he squats cause he seems like a strong player.

While Foster is a strong technician, his weakness is his lack of athleticism.

Foster is slow getting downfield. In fact, he struggles running down field and getting an extra block to help the running back, which is a definite negative when it comes to playing in the Redskins offense, which requires a lot of movement from the guards.

He struggles blocking on the second level as well. When he move past the defensive line to the linebackers he struggles to make a block. He looks to be too slow to block a linebacker at the college level. This is troubling because the NFL linebackers are faster.

I’d go so far as to say that Foster looks out of shape. Often on the field he seemed gassed and finished the plays walking — giving up on plays because he looked too tired.

He struggles to find and block the blitz in pass protection. This issue is tough to pin on just him. Pass protection is the combined job of the offensive line and QB; they need to read the blitz pre snap, and if it isn’t identified then it becomes a danger. However, even when identified Foster struggled to block the more athletic linebackers.

How would he fit with the Redskins?

I’m rather torn on my opinion about Foster. On one hand I see a strong technician, but on the other I see a poor athlete.

The Redskins need depth at offensive line, but they need quality depth, and they drafted two players in Martin and Pierschbacher who will go a long way toward filling out the depth chart. There’s really no chance that Jordan Foster cracks the 53-man roster in 2019.

I am also not sure I would give up a practice squad spot for him, but he’s the type of player who has been well-coached, so a year or two of NFL conditioning with Chad Englehart and training with Bill Callahan might be just what’s needed to turn this 23-year-old into an NFL player. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he makes the practice squad, giving him the chance to develop. He has the technique, but the athleticism needs to develop before he can be put onto an NFL active roster.

A taste of Jerald Foster’s Twitter feed: