Former South Carolina defensive back Jaylan Foster receives invite to pair of NFL rookie minicamps

Former South Carolina safety Jaylan Foster has been invited to try out at rookie minicamps with both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles, per On3’s Matt Zenitz. A Walter Camp All-American and first team All-SEC member this past season, Foster will hope to show he has what it takes to make an NFL roster.

The 5-foot-10, 195 pound defensive back had the best year of his college career in 2021, finishing with 97 tackles (five for loss), two sacks and tied for the SEC lead with five interceptions. He helped lead the Gamecocks to a 7-6 finish, including a victory in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against North Carolina.

Jaylan Foster was underrecruited coming out of Byrnes High School in Duncan, South Carolina, and opted to attend Gardner-Webb his true freshman season in 2016. He transferred to South Carolina the following year as a walk-on, and eventually worked his way up to a scholarship in 2020. He played in 10 games that season, making five starts while recording 43 tackles to finish fourth on the team.

During his one year at Gardner-Webb, Foster was named the Big South Conference Freshman of the Year. He finished the season with five interceptions — a Big South freshman record — in addition to 45 tackles, nine passes defended and a pair of fumble recoveries. He also led the FCS in defensive return yards with 185 and scored two defensive touchdowns, one on a fumble recover and the other on an interception.

Foster will hope his knack for creative turnovers can stick in the NFL, as the first round of rookie minicamps is set to begin this Friday. After that, there will be a second round of camps scheduled for May 13-16. Per league rules, each franchise can select to host their rookies on one of the two weekends, but not both.