From a budding star who was undrafted to a long-time veteran who was undrafted, Ramon Foster is Mr. Reliable himself on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line. He showed his leadership qualities with Tennessee football, openly standing up for Phillip Fulmer in 2008 and always demanding the most of his players.
Over the past couple of years, Foster has helped the franchise navigate the drama with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell. Now, he enters 2019 with a franchise that has four former UT players, including him, Joshua Dobbs, Cameron Sutton and Daniel McCullers. But he’s the only one from the Fulmer era, and it shows with his expectations of being a winner.
Foster has not missed more than two starts in any season over the last eight years, and the 6’5″ 328-pound guard only allowed one sack last year while being ranked consistently as a top 30 lineman in the league. Although he’s not going to get superstar recognition as a lineman, his reliability and leadership qualities are things you can’t replace.
That’s why Foster is so high on the list. He represents everything right about the NFL and the Vols in general, and it’s why he was awarded a two-year $8.25 million contract extension this season. With the Brown and Bell drama over, he is a reason the Steelers have lots of potential. Sure, there’s still Ben Roethlisberger, but Foster is as important as a leader.