Jacksonville Jaguars select Missouri OT Javon Foster in fourth round of 2024 NFL Draft
Missouri offensive tackle Javon Foster is now off to the NFL. The former SEC lineman was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 114 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit.
After choosing Missouri because it was his only Power 5 offer out of high school, Foster came into the SEC as a bit of a developmental prospect in the 2018 class. And he took advantage of a redshirt and then the free year of Covid eligibility to come back for a sixth and final season with the Tigers in 2023.
It marked his third-straight season starting all 13 games at left tackle for the Tigers, and Foster earned All-SEC first team honors for his efforts in 2023. At 6-foot-5 and north of 310 pounds, Foster has the size and length and power to hang in against NFL defenders and control the point of attack. Concerns begin to arise when looking at his movement and athleticism, some of which can be honed and some that will be capped out.
Foster is also an NFL legacy, the son of former defensive lineman Jerome Foster, who played four seasons in the league in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Foster played high school football at West Bloomfield (Mich.) High School, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 1391 overall recruit in the 2018 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Foster
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein feels a bit similar about Foster coming to the NFL as some teams did about him jumping to college: He needs some time to develop.
The raw physical tools and frame are there for Foster to become a solid NFL player on the line, but it will take some time and lumps on the way to get there.
“Durable three-year starter whose arm length and strain can help make up for below-average athletic qualities as a tackle,” Zierlein said. “Foster lacks fluidity in his pass sets and proper footwork with certain run blocks, but he gets his job done. He’s very capable as a zone blocker, maintaining his pacing and sustain, and he’s a thinker in pass sets with a nice approach to diversifying his punch to keep rushers guessing. Foster isn’t a natural knee-bender and that lack of leverage shows up as a drive blocker and when handling bull rushers. The question for Foster will be whether he can improve his footwork enough to become a more efficient blocker. He has the tape to project as a backup with starter potential.