Led by offensive tackle Anthony Barrette, four members of the Concordia Stingers football team are on the radar for tomorrow’s CFL draft.
Barrette, a fourth-year History major from Verdun, Que., has drawn the most attention. The six-foot-five, 315-pound lineman is rated 13th overall by the CFL Scouting Bureau, a group that evaluates the top Canadian amateur football players.
The second team CIS all-Canadian has spent a good part of the week talking to CFL coaches, but he has no idea who will select him on Sunday. While he would love to play for the hometown Montreal Alouettes, he’ll be happy anywhere.
“Whatever team takes me, I’m ready to work hard and play hard,” said the big tackle.
Both Barrette and teammate Liam Mahoney were Quebec conference all-stars and second team CIS all-Canadians in 2010.
Mahoney, a slotback from Lachine, Que., is also garnering a lot of attention. He came into the Concordia program in 2007 as a quarterback and was CIS Rookie of the Year. Two years later the exceptional athlete made a smooth transition to receiver. In two seasons at slotback, he caught 94 passes for 1228 yards and 10 touchdowns. Mahoney checks in at six feet, 200 pounds and is quick and fast.
Defensive tackle Maurice Forbes could be the surprise of the draft. The six-foot-three, 300-pound Toronto native has a lot of talent but has had a tough time with injuries over the course of his university career. He has been healthy for more than a year and the interest from CFL teams has been increasing substantially.
Concordia running back Edem Nyamadi, a Montrealer, may also be attractive to the professionals. He turned heads at the CFL evaluation camp in March, scoring well in the shuttle test (3.97 seconds) and shining in one-on-one drills. He is five foot nine and 195 pounds.
TSN will have complete coverage of the draft, beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. You can follow the first two rounds on TV live. The following rounds can be tracked on the CFL and TSN’s Web sites.
