Foster impresses at NFL combine

  EDWARD LIN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Tailback
DeShaun Foster is impressing many at the NFL
combine in Indianapolis.

By Adam Karon
Daily Bruin Staff

INDIANAPOLIS “”mdash; DeShaun Foster seems calm, peaceful and
almost content while those around him at this weekend’s NFL
combine are on edge. He smiles, shrugs, and answers questions with
grace not seen during his UCLA career.

Many athletes pace and paw at the podium. Some stutter or mumble
stunted answers to the 60 or so reporters in the chaotic press
room. Foster did neither.

Someone should tell him to be nervous, because he is not. He
seems to have it all figured out.

And why not? He has been training for this moment since
competing in the Senior Bowl in mid-January. Fellow UCLA Bruins
Marques Anderson and Ed Ieremia-Stansbury joined Foster at World
Wide Sports in Orlando, along with Illinois quarterback Kurt
Kittner and Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington in preparing for the
combine exercises.

A typical day went as follows:

8:30 a.m.: Breakfast.

9:00 a.m.: Weight training to prepare for the combine bench
press.

11:00 a.m.: Speed training to prepare for the combine 40-yard
dash and afterward a break for lunch and treatment.

5:30 p.m.: Pool workout for speed and strength or field workout
for technical skills.

6:30 p.m.: End.

“We didn’t have time to go out,” Foster said.
“We were all too tired anyway.”

Most experts didn’t expect Foster to run the 40 this
weekend. Most top running backs avoid doing so for fear of
recording a slow time.

“That’s the thing,” said Foster, who did not
seem concerned with this prospect. “Most guys aren’t
(running) so I want to get a number out there.”

Foster tallied a 4.5 second 40, a strong time for running backs,
but even stronger considering he entered the combine at a
self-described “whopping” 222 lbs, seven more than his
playing days of UCLA.

In the bench press he recorded 20 repetitions of 225 lbs,
proving that the extra seven pounds were put to good use.

Perhaps the toughest part for Foster was waking up at 4:30 a.m.
for the mandatory drug test.

Foster seemed less concerned with the extra benefit violation
interrogation performed by the 20 reporters on the scene than he
did with the doctor’s medical questions about his hands.

Most do not expect the mistake to cost Foster in the draft. When
it comes to NFL concerns, Foster’s particular off-field
incident is relatively harmless. Most coaches are more concerned
with his fumbles, or even his intelligence ““ something, which
at least on the football field, others praise.

“The guy has vision,” said Washington State
linebacker Roanall Smith, referring to Foster’s ability to
find and hit the gaps. “He saw me coming and most people
don’t. He has kind of like a third eye.”

Foster explained his collegiate suspension to NFL coaches, but
refused to address the issue with members of the media.

“I just told them exactly what happened,” he said.
“It was a mistake.”

The player/coach interviews are perhaps the most important part
of the weekend. This is where coaches get a sense of who the
athlete really is.

“We look for smart players,” Minnesota Vikings head
coach Mike Tice said. He also mentioned that position coaches talk
to college and high school coaches, as well as teammates, to get a
good read on a prospect.

If Tice is looking for educated players, he might be on the
right track with Foster. Though he was away from school last
quarter, he plans on resuming classes in the spring to complete his
degree in history.

Foster’s draft status has oscillated like a high-risk
stock, starting the season high, dipping during a fumble epidemic,
and rising again with his senior bowl and combine performance.
Though he has been testy at times, Foster seems more relaxed and at
ease than ever.

“I’m a little anxious,” he said when asked
about finishing up the combine.

Anxious to finish, or anxious to find out where he will begin
his NFL career? Some predict Foster will go in the first round, but
could be the third running back taken behind Boston College’s
William Green and Michigan State’s T.J. Duckett. Foster seems
interested yet unconcerned.

Either way, if Foster maintains the same comfort level he
displayed at the combine, he will be calm as can be come April 20
and the NFL draft.