Ramon Foster highlights the play of two undrafted offensive lineman during OTAs

As an 11-year NFL veteran, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Ramon Foster has seen his fair share of names come through the Steel City, enough that he has developed something of an eye for talent when evaluating the younger players on the roster. And when sitting down for an interview with Mike Prisuta of Steelers.com at practice, Foster was keen to highlight two offensive lineman who had caught his attention during OTAs this offseason.

In previous years, Foster had noted the prospects of under the radar options like Mike Hilton and Jaylan Samuels ahead of productive debuts season. On Friday, it was young undrafted offensive lineman Fred Johnson and Garrett Brumfield who received an initial seal of approval from the veteran guard.

“I’m going with a couple of linemen this year. Fred, the kid from Florida is a guy that I’ve got my eye on, also Brumfield, he’s an undrafted guy out of LSU. First and foremost, all our young guys, mentally they have it way better than we did in terms of learning the playbook. But as far as them being able to bring it to the field too, those two guys have really stuck out to me.”

But before you rush out to buy you customized Johnson or Brumfield jerseys, Foster’s was quick to note that his evaluation of the two players was still ongoing, with his official check mark still pending.

“Not yet, because they’re in my group. And they’re both undrafted too which is kinda cool so I of course have an eye for those type of guys right now.”

And for those wondering how Foster rated some of the more notable names added in the draft this offseason, the veteran lineman has clearly been impressed by the talents of Devin Bush.

“Devin, you can tell he was first-round for a reason. The guy moves flawlessly, man. He’s a guy that knows what he’s going and you can tell our defensive coordinators, our defensive coaches and some of the older guys are pushing him also to get it down.”

As well as Diontae Johnson, while conveniently failing to mention Antonio Brown by name when comparing the young receiver to past players.

“Our third-round receiver, he has some tools. And there was a comparison out there to a guy that came in a year after me that they were like, he’s really looking advanced. He has an opportunity ... He’s a guy that I’m really looking forward to seeing”.

Entering his second year, it would appear that James Washington has also impressed Foster during the early stages of OTAs.

“James Washington, you can tell a difference in him this year. I’m excited for that kid, very excited for him.”

“He lit it up on just raw talent [as a rookie at OTAs], now he’s fully thinking about it. You see his technique come into it. He’s gotta be one of the highest, quickest jumpers I’ve ever seen and he just has a sense of calm over him. And that’s what it took for me, it was about a year before I actually got comfortable and he looks like he’s getting comfortable with what he’s doing.”

If Foster continues to excel as a talent evaluator, he may yet have another career in professional football ahead of him in the personnel department. However given his obvious ease in front of camera, it would not be a surprise if he made a move into media once his playing days were over.