NFL.com: ASU’s D.J. Foster the ninth-best wide receiver to watch for in 2015

ASU senior D.J. Foster was one of the Sun Devils’ best receivers in 2014. The thing is, however, he was just a running back then.

Foster announced this offseason that he would be transitioning from running back to wide receiver, immediately thrusting him into the group of the best wide receivers and playmakers in the country.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein is particularly fond of Foster, ranking him ninth in his list of the 10 wide receivers to watch in 2015.

Zierlein called Foster one of the most athletic players in the country, allowing him to be a valuable weapon for ASU:

By the end of 2014, the Sun Devils were giving their running back, D.J. Foster, plenty of snaps at wide receiver. This spring, they decided to make Foster a full-time receiver, which should bode well for his chances on the next level. Scouts are interested to see how Foster handles a full-time workload at receiver, but with his instant acceleration and willingness to finish his runs after the catch, my guess is that Foster’s athletic ability and competitiveness will help him learn and thrive quickly at his new position.

Foster, who has caught a pass in each of his 40 games as a Sun Devil, is expected to immediately become redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici’s top target with the departure of Jaelen Strong to the NFL Draft.

The Saguaro High School product, is the only active FBS player with more than 1,500 career rushing and receiving yards, and was ASU’s second-leading receiver last season despite being the team’s full-time running back. He also had his first career 1,000-yard rushing season in 2014.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound receiver caught 62 passes for 688 yards and three touchdowns in 2014.

Foster’s position switch, along with the post-signing day additions of JUCO wide receiver Tim White and UCLA graduate transfer Devin Lucien, could allow one of the Sun Devils’ biggest question marks to become a strength.

ASU loses Strong, one of the top wide receivers in school history, who was selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. The Sun Devils also lost Cam Smith for the season after undergoing knee surgery.

Foster is the only Pac-12 player listed, though JuJu Smith of USC is one of Zierlein’s “Others to watch.”