Five games into his career, Reuben Foster is already being recognized by the NFL.
The rookie linebacker has been named Defensive Player of the Month of November, the league announced Thursday. In three games this month, Foster has recorded 30 tackles, including a season-high 14 stops in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 5.
Foster missed nearly the first six weeks of the season after sustaining a high ankle sprain in Week 1, but has looked like a stud since returning, showing why general manager John Lynch had Foster ranked third on his draft board this offseason. Foster fell to the late first round after being a projected top-five pick following an incident at the scouting combine that also included a positive drug test.
As pointed out by Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, Foster is the fifth 49ers player to win the award, joining linebacker Chris Borland, linebacker Aldon Smith, linebacker Patrick Willis, and defensive lineman Andre Carter.