He took a step in that direction Thursday morning at Georgia Southern’s Pro Day when the former Eagle quarterback and Walter Payton Award winner drew rave reviews from the 13 scouts representing 11 NFL teams at GSU’s practice fields. Foster and former teammates running back Lamar Lewis, long snapper Joey Tuttle, defensive back Brandon Jackson, linebacker Cory Clemons and tight end Charlie Giacomarro along with a punter from Albany State and a defensive back from Fort Valley State went through a series of drills to test their speed and agility.

            Unofficially, Foster ran a 4.40 40-yard dash, recorded a vertical leap of 37 inches, a broad jump 10 feet 6 inches and benched 225 pounds a personal-best 11 times.

Foster’s agent, Joel Turner of Carolinas Athletic Management Agency, said Foster’s showing was the best individual workout he’s seen in eight years in the business.

The NFL draft is exactly one month away, and scouts have speculated Foster could go anywhere from the fourth to the seventh round, Turner said. Several teams asked Turner for additional tapes of Foster Thursday.

            “I heard one of the scouts joking that you couldn’t catch him in a phone booth,” Turner said. “He’s in a position right now where he’s got a lot of interest. He’s the most versatile kid in the country. There’s nothing else like him out there. Nobody else in the country is going to run a legitimate sub-4.4 and have the ability to do everything he does. He’s an anomaly.”

            Foster, who dazzled GSU fans and terrorized Southern Conference opponents for four years, was encouraged by his performance at the workout.

            “Hopefully today I impressed a few scouts and will talk to them soon,” he said. “I haven’t seen the times yet, but I think I caught the ball well, so overall I think I had a pretty good day.”

            Foster, who’s been focused on training since graduating in December, said he tried to have as much fun as possible Thursday and not put too much pressure on himself. Turner said Foster, who set the NCAA single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback (1,844) last fall, will likely be used as a slot receiver or a special-teams player at the next level.

            Foster hasn’t had any individual workouts yet, though several teams have expressed interest in bringing him in for an official visit, Turner said.

            “Being at this level, sometimes (players) don’t get the credit they deserve, but it’s give and take,” Turner said. “I think once he gets into camp, he’ll do really well.”

            Turner also represents Lewis, who had solid workout Thursday despite not being able to bench because of a shoulder injury.

            “He had about as good a workout as he could have,” Turner said. “As far as his opportunities, it’s really hard to say.”

            Lewis ran for 955 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games last season.

“All I need is one chance,” he said. “That’s all it takes, and I’m just praying for a chance right now.”

Jackson, who recorded 34 tackles and a team-high 11 pass breakups in 11 games last fall, decided to forgo his senior year to begin pursuing his lifelong goal.

            “I feel like the opportunity will be there for me to play in the NFL, and it’s up to me to take advantage of it,” Jackson said.

            Representatives from the Patriots, Saints, Jaguars, Giants, Seahawks, Bears, Colts, Steelers, Lions, Vikings and Titans were on hand for the workouts.

            Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.