Men’s Football
CFL Scouting Bureau: 13 U SPORTS standouts make final Top-20 prospect list for 2017 CFL draft
Danny Vandervoort, a receiver from the McMaster Marauders, was the first U SPORTS player selected in the 2017 CFL Canadian Draft when the B.C. Lions called his name at No. 3, on Sunday evening.
For all the information on the CFL Canadian Draft: www.cfl.ca
The first overall selection, by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, was defensive lineman Faith Ekakitie from the University of Iowa, marking the third straight year than an NCAA player topped the charts after an eight-year U SPORTS stranglehold on the first pick from 2007 to 2014.
Overall, 56 U SPORTS standouts were selected out of 71 total picks (78.9 per cent). The tally is the second-best in league history, trailing only the whopping 59 U SPORTS stars chosen in 2014 out of 65 total selections (90.8 per cent). A year ago, U SPORTS players made up 75.7 per cent of draftees (53 out of 70).
Vandervoort was one of six U SPORTS players who went in the opening round on Sunday. A complete round-by-round breakdown is below.
Other U SPORTS representatives to go in the first round were Calgary Dinos defensive lineman Connor McGough at No.4 (Hamilton), Carleton Ravens receiver Nate Behar at No.5 (Edmonton), Montreal Carabins defensive lineman Junior Luke at No. 7 (B.C.), Manitoba Bisons offensive lineman Geoff Gray at No. 8 (Winnipeg) and Saskatchewan Huskies offensive lineman Evan Johnson at No. 9 (Ottawa).
Vandervoort, a 6-foot-2, 204-pound receiver from Barrie, Ont., was ranked fourth on the first and final CFL Scouting Bureau list of the season in September and April, respectively, dropping to No.7 on the second list December. A three-time U SPORTS All-Canadian, including a First-Team honour in 2015, Vandervoort was fifth in the nation last season in yards per catch (18.6), ninth in touchdowns (5) and 10th in yards per game (78.9).
Behar (No. 9), Luke (No. 11) and McGough (No.20) were also ranked in the Scouting Bureau’s top 20 going into the draft.
Gray (No.3), the top-ranked player on the April 13 list, was chosen in the first round by Winnipeg, dropping to No.8 overall after signing with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers on April 29, while Laval tight end Antony Auclair (No.7) fell to the fourth round at No. 30, after inking with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, both as undrafted free agents.
The 2017 CFL regular season gets underway on June 22 when the Montreal Alouettes host the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The 2017 U SPORTS Valero East-West Bowl Week, showcasing the top prospects heading into to the 2018 CFL Draft, begins Tuesday with the CFL Combine at 9 a.m. ET. Kick-off is set for Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET at Laval University’s TELUS-UL Stadium.