The San Francisco 49ers had a decision to make when the 2018 NFL Draft arrived. Linebacker Reuben Foster was arrested in January for marijuana possession, and then was arrested in February for suspicion of domestic violence, making criminal threats, and illegal weapons possession. Neither of the cases had been cleared up at that point, but the day before the draft, Foster’s accuser recanted her statement. In May she would formally recant it under oath.
The 49ers likely had a good idea of how things would play out with that charge, but with nothing set in stone, they had to figure out what they wanted to do at the linebacker position in the draft.