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Washington's meagre run defense won't improve without a bruiser at the heart of the linebacker corps for 2017. Enter Reuben Foster, the last Alabama defender on this list—we promise.

As previously noted, Foster makes almost too much sense for the Redskins not to pursue in the first round come draft day. The combine should be for McCloughan to accurately gauge whether such a pursuit would really be worth it.

Unless Foster makes a mess of the drills, it's hard to believe McCloughan won't leave Indy impressed by a smart, instinctive linebacker with the range Washington lacks at the position.

Any linebacker on a Nick Saban-directed defense is going to be versatile, and Foster is no exception. He can play inside or outside, but he makes his bones in the guard-center-guard box.

Foster has the speed and recognition skills to quickly break downhill and shoot gaps to get into the backfield. But there's another side to his game, notably his soft backpedal and keen eye for the ball as a covering defender in space.

The combine's drills may not highlight what makes Foster so special, since his primary asset is an aptitude for the mental side of the game. This is a player whose gifts show up on the field when the pads are popping.

However, there's one big reason why McCloughan and any other general manager interested in Foster should watch him closely at the combine.

Writing for the league's official site, Lance Zierlein quoted an unnamed NFC director of scouting who summed up the issue: "I'm worried about what his medicals will show because he's had some issues with stingers during his career."

Yet, if Foster shows a clean bill of health and passes the eye test, McCloughan should come away from Indianapolis knowing he has his ideal first-round pick in mind.

The combine is a tricky process for talent evaluators, one where it's easy to be wowed by the superficial and lose focus on those athletes who save their best for the field. However, savvy GMs will know who those participants are before arriving at Lucas Oil Stadium.

McCloughan should merely treat the combine as a gentle endorsement or negation of what he already thinks about the player capable of fixing Washington's primary weaknesses ahead of the new season.