49ers linebacker Reuben Foster sure has a lot of hype to live up to.
The 31st pick in the 2017 NFL Draft turned heads in the preseason and training camp, and was named by NFL.com as the league’s top rookie heading into the season.
Unfortunately, Foster’s promising Week 1 debut was cut short in the second quarter, after he sustained a high ankle sprain that has kept him on the shelf for six weeks. But Foster looks like he’s finally healthy enough to return this Sunday against the Redskins, and with NaVorro Bowman now out of the picture, the pressure on Foster to preform at a high level is even greater.
It’s hard to remember the last time so much was expected from a 49ers rookie. With that in mind, lets take a look back at the top five defensive rookie seasons in franchise history. There have been some great ones.
5. CB Tim McKyer (1986)
It’s unlikely many remember McKyer 30 years later, but the third-round pick out of Texas-Arlington did a fine job replacing injured All-Pro Eric Wright in his first season as a pro. Consistently tested by opposing quarterbacks, McKyer led all rookies with six interceptions, and led the 49ers with 23 passes defended against QBs that included Dan Marino, Phil Simms, Jim Everett and Steve DeBerg. McKyer would play for 11 seasons with seven different teams, but never again reached the heights of his rookie season.
4. FS Eric Reid (2013)
The only player on this list that is still a member of the team, Reid joined the best defense in the league in 2013 and fit right in immediately, justifying both the 49ers decision to trade up to draft him with the 18th overall pick, and their decision to let first-team All-Pro Deshon Goldson walk in free agency. Reid proved himself to be an all-around contributor, grabbing four interceptions and finishing third on the team in tackles with 73 from the free safety position. Reid, now in his fifth season, hasn’t quite been able to reach those heights again, but looked reborn in Robert Salah’s system this season before sustaining a PCL injury in Week 2.
3. DT Bryant Young (1994)
The seventh overall pick out of Notre Dame, Young exploded onto the scene and immediately won a starting job on perhaps the most talented 49ers team of all time. Young had big shoes to fill replacing the giant Ted Washington who would go onto become a four-time Pro Bowler, but exceeded expectations, finishing the season with six sacks, 43 tackles, and was named as the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year helping the 49ers’ won their fifth Super Bowl title in 15 years. Young would go down as one of the best defensive lineman of the decade.
2. LB Patrick Willis (2007)
From the moment he stepped on the field in his first NFL game, Patrick Willis looked like one of the best linebackers in the league. Willis was simply dominant in his rookie campaign after being selected with the 11th overall pick, and would be the centerpiece for some of the 49ers’ best defenses for years to come. Under linebacker coach Mike Singletary, Willis led the NFL with an incredible 174 tackles his rookie season, was named a First-Team All-Pro, and the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. It was an impressive first act in what would go down as a Hall-of-Fame career.
1. CB Ronnie Lott (1981)
It’s hard to imagine any rookie season more impressive than Willis’ 2007 campaign, but Lott somehow managed that in 1981, helping turn a secondary full of youngsters into one of the best units in the league. Flanked by two other rookies and “veteran” 25-year old Eric Wright, what should’ve been the team’s Achilles heel turned into a no fly zone, and helped lead the 49ers to their first ever Super Bowl victory.
It was clear from day one that Lott was the best of the bunch, grabbing seven interceptions, returning three for touchdowns, en route to an All-Pro campaign. In any other season Lott would’ve been named Defensive Rookie of the Year, but was edged out by Lawrence Taylor, who would go down as arguably the greatest defensive player in NFL history.
Lott would go on to make eight All-Pro teams, win four Super Bowls, be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and was named as the 11th greatest player of all time by NFL Network. He is easily the greatest 49ers rookie, on offense or defense, of all time.
All the facts and figures used in this piece were gathered using the analytics platform called Looker. Make sure to check them out for user friendly dashboards, visualizations, and data analysis.