The 49ers traded back into the first round to grab linebacker Reuben Foster with the 31st overall pick in April’s draft and now they have him under contract.
Word of the agreement came from the team on Friday afternoon and leaves the Niners with eight of their 10 picks from General Manager John Lynch’s first draft under contract. Like all first-round picks, Foster’s deal is for four years with a 49ers option for a fifth year.
For much of the pre-draft period, Foster was projected to go much higher in the first round but concerns about his shoulder and a diluted drug test at the Scouting Combine helped keep him around until the end of the first night.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said that the team felt the “worst-case scenario” was that Foster misses some of his rookie year after having shoulder surgery, but Lynch said the expectation is that he’ll be working without limitations in training camp.