Mizzou OT Javon Foster is having an incredible Senior Bowl performance through two days. The Detriot native has a natural edge to him that makes him the perfect type of player to play offensive line. He showed that in spades during this one-on-one with a friend of the program Jalyx Hunt, as the two went toe-to-toe.
"For me as an offensive lineman, I got some nasty in my game and also trying to focus in on my technique and become a technician like (Dallas Cowboys left tackle) Tyron Smith," Foster said during Senior Bowl Media day.
That mix of speed and technique has made Foster a unique player to watch at the Senior Bowl. With his stock potentially on the rise, let's take a look at the career so far of Javon Foster and what a good week at the Senior Bowl could mean for his NFL career.
Career Overview
Foster was a 3-star recruit, according to 247 Sports, coming out of West Bloomfield High School in Michigan. Initially, Foster had committed to play at Central Michigan but de-committed once he got an offer to play in the SEC with the Mizzou Tigers. After redshirting his freshman season, he slowly built himself up to a starter by his junior season. Foster came back as a graduate student and was finally able to break out in a big way in 2023. Foster was named to the AP All-American Third Team, the AP and Coaches All-SEC First Team, and even the Senior Bowl watchlist. Foster finished the year with an 84.8 grade from Pro Football Focus. His play at left tackle helped the Tigers to their first winning season since 2014, going 11-2 overall and 6-2 record in the SEC, their only two losses coming against Georgia and LSU. They ended the season with a bang as they took down Ohio State 14-3 in the Cotton Bowl. Running back Cody Schrader had 128 yards and the game's only touchdown on the day.
Player Comparison: Tyron Smith
Foster said that he has tried to model his game after the All-Pro and after watching some of his game tape, I couldn't agree more. Both Foster and Smith use their size and mobility on the edge to stonewall edge rushers and have fantastic hand technique in their blocks. In the three games, I watched from Foster's film, he was technical and near-perfect in his pass blocking against LSU, Georgia, and Tennessee. While most of the time he was stellar in his protection, there were a few times when he struggled against some speed rushers in one-on-one situations, which at the NFL level, could spell problems for him. Foster also had some inconsistencies in his run-blocking as well, with him not being fully balanced and more so throwing his body into blocks.
Final Note
Foster is currently projected as a fourth-round pick and with the work he needs to put in both his pass and run blocking, I think that is a fair ranking. Now if he can get in the right situation and not have to start as a rookie, that would go quite a long way into getting him to what potentially Tyron Smith is (or at least a good percentage close to that). Foster is off to a great start at the Senior Bowl by trying to show that he truly is one of the best offensive tackles not just at the Senior Bowl, but in the entire draft.
Cover Image Courtesy of Mizzou Athletics