Foster taken in third round by Tampa Bay

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used their third round draft pick - No. 84 overall - on Washington's Mason Foster. The 6-foot-2, 242-pound linebacker from Seaside, Calif. was an All-America pick by both Scout.com and Rivals.com in 2010. He joins Jake Locker - who was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the first round - as Huskies that have been picked in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Foster was known as a prolific tackler at Washington, finishing his UW career ranked No. 8 in UW history with 378 career tackles, an even more remarkable statistic since tackle stats have been greatly reduced over the years.

In four years, Foster played in 50 games, coming up with 241 solo stops, 137 assists, 38.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and four interceptions - his biggest coming in a 36-33 win when he picked up a ball that ricocheted off of the foot of Arizona receiver Delashaun Dean, returning it 37 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:37 left in the game.

“I think he’ll be a great pro," UW Head Coach Steve Sarkisian said Friday of Foster. "He’s such a versatile guy. He’s got the ability to play in space but yet play hard-nosed football. He’s an excellent pass rusher, and he’s got ball instincts. I don’t know how many times in two years, the ball gets tipped into the air and it finds its way into No. 40’s hands.

"He’s just got great instincts, and in the NFL he equates to a three-down linebacker, meaning he can play first- and second-down football, but even in nickel situations, he can rush the passer or cover people – he can do that really well too.”

Mason Foster Scout.com Profile