Former Syracuse safety Evan Foster signs 3-year deal with 49ers

Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Going undrafted didn’t seem to be much of a problem for the former Orange starter.

While two Syracuse Orange players were selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, several more caught on with teams as undrafted free agents. One of those is safety Evan Foster, who signed a three-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, as the team officially announced.

Getting a three-year deal is not a sign that Foster will definitely make the roster, but it’s a significant investment that could help get him there. Foster was a three-year starter with the Orange at strong safety, and as a senior, he collected 76 tackles, two TFLs (one sack) and four pass breakups, plus two fumble recoveries. As he noted to Syracuse.com back in April, his pre-draft schedule was thrown into disarray between surgery back in December and the limitations COVID put on workouts.

SB Nation’s Niners Nation believes Foster could challenge for a special teams role, which would a great place to start — and one he’s experienced with given his role on SU’s excellnt punt coverage team. While Foster and the defense had some struggles due to injury in 2019, he was still the 10th-ranked safety by coverage grade in the ACC last year (according to Pro Football Focus). According to PFF, he actually performed a lot better — in coverage, and overall on defense — as the season wore on, save the final game vs. Wake Forest.

Congrats to Evan, and hopefully he’s able to make the 49ers’ roster. It would certainly be a nice situation to walk into, given how good San Francisco’s defense looked last year and the team’s chances of competing for championships in the coming years.