He sat there in Arizona, just waiting. The phone stayed silent. It didn’t ring in the fourth round, or the fifth, or even the seventh. By the time the 2009 NFL Draft wrapped up, 256 names had been called. None of them were Arian Foster. Imagine that for a second. A guy who would eventually lead the league in rushing, make four Pro Bowls, and basically redefine the zone-stretch scheme in Houston was deemed "not good enough" by every single front office in professional football.
It’s one of those draft-day stories that makes you realize how much of a crapshoot scouting actually is. We like to think these GMs are geniuses with crystal balls, but on that weekend in April, they all looked at a future First-team All-Pro and blinked.
The Tennessee Disaster That Killed His Stock
If you want to understand the Arian Foster draft day slide, you have to look at the mess that was the 2008 Tennessee Volunteers. Honestly, it was a train wreck. Foster had a massive junior year—1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was getting second-round grades from the draft advisory board. He should’ve left then. But Phillip Fulmer convinced him to stay, and everything that could go wrong did.
The coaching staff was a revolving door. Foster was on his third offensive coordinator in four years. The team went 5-7, Fulmer got fired, and Foster’s production fell off a cliff. He only ran for 570 yards as a senior. To scouts, he looked like a guy who had checked out. They saw a "fumble-prone" back with an "attitude problem" because he was a philosophy major who didn't give canned, robotic answers to the media.
Then came the pre-draft process. It was a nightmare. He pulled a hamstring right before the Senior Bowl. He couldn't work out at the Combine. When he finally had his Pro Day at Tennessee, he ran a 4.71 forty-yard dash. In NFL terms, that’s "offensive lineman slow" for a running back.
256 Picks and a Silent Phone
Draft day is supposed to be the pinnacle of a kid's life, right? For Foster, it was a slow-motion car crash. He spent it at his father’s house, watching names like Donald Brown, Beanie Wells, and Knowshon Moreno go off the board. Even guys you’ve probably forgotten—like Cedric Peerman or Javon Ringer—got the call. Foster didn't.
✨ Don't miss: How Much Did Mike Tyson Make on the Fight: What Really Happened With the Netflix Millions
He’s talked about this later, specifically when he was filming the movie Draft Day (yeah, he was actually in a movie about the draft). He said those emotions of not being wanted were very real. He felt like his dream was basically dead. His girlfriend at the time, Romina, was actually the one scouring depth charts online, trying to find a landing spot while he was dealing with the gut-punch of going unselected.
The Texans eventually called. It wasn't a "we want to build around you" call. It was a "hey, come to camp as a body" call. He signed as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2009.
The Hustle Most People Forget
People think Foster just showed up in Houston and started dominating. Nope. He actually got released on final cut-down day in September 2009. The Texans put him on the practice squad. Think about how close we were to never seeing the Namaste celebration. He was a practice squad body for more than half his rookie season.
It took an injury to Ben Tate and Steve Slaton for him to get a real look. But once he did? Man. In the 2009 season finale against New England, he put up 119 yards. The rest is history. In 2010, his first full year as a starter, he led the NFL with 1,616 rushing yards.
Why the Scouts Were So Wrong
- The "Speed" Trap: They obsessed over that 4.71 forty. They ignored his "game speed" and vision.
- The "Character" Myth: Because he was intellectual and "cerebral," scouts labeled him as not loving football.
- Context Blindness: They blamed him for Tennessee’s failures rather than seeing the coaching chaos around him.
Foster wasn't a "power" runner in the traditional sense, but he was 6'1" and 227 pounds with the best vision in the league. He didn't need a 4.4 forty because he never ran into people; he ran around them.
What We Can Learn From the Slide
The Arian Foster draft day saga is the ultimate proof that "experts" are often just guessing. If you’re looking for a takeaway, it’s that your "ranking" doesn't define your "ceiling." Foster ended his career with 6,527 rushing yards—the second-most by an undrafted player in the Super Bowl era, trailing only Priest Holmes.
💡 You might also like: Indianapolis Colts Running Backs: What Everyone Is Getting Wrong About This Backfield
If you’re an athlete or just someone chasing a goal, remember that Foster was the 24th-ranked running back in his own class. Twenty-three guys were supposedly better. Most of them were out of the league before he even hit his prime.
Next Steps for You:
If you want to see the specific mechanics of why he succeeded, go watch film of the 2010 Texans' zone-blocking scheme. Focus on Foster's "one-cut" ability. It’s a masterclass in patience. You should also check out his podcast, Macrodosing, if you want to see the personality that scouts were so afraid of—he's still just as "cerebral" as he was on draft day.