The whole Canadian gang is here, almost
Ticats’ second pick, Burlington’s Darius Ciraco, signs and joins the team at camp
So, now eight out of the nine are here.
With the arrival of Darius Ciraco at the McMaster University campus Tuesday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have signed all but one of the draft class of 2018, a very good Canadian haul for a club which of late has been making much larger news on the American-signing front.
Ciraco, the interior offensive lineman from Burlington with a widely acknowledged upside, agreed to terms with the club in time to make Day 3 of training camp. That leaves only receiver Mark Chapman, the No. 1 overall pick, holding out. The Ticats announced late last week that they’d signed their third through ninth picks, and Ciraco has now joined that septet.
He got into the second-unit offence at left guard, as the Cats — who traded up a spot to get him in the May draft — see him as versatile enough to play both sides at guard and centre.
Ciraco wouldn’t provide any particulars about his late agreeing to terms, which is common after players sign and report.
But he is happy to be battling for a job with the team he watched a number of times as a kid at Ivor Wynne Stadium, and a couple of times at Tim Hortons Field.
“Definitely,” says the 22-yearold Burlington Assumption grad. “My family isn’t far away and it’s great for them to be able to come out for games, if I do end up making the roster. They haven’t been able to make it out to Calgary so it would be great to be able to play in front of them again.”
By the time the Ticats moved into their new digs, Ciraco was at the University of Calgary. But he did make it onto the east-end turf in the 2016 Vanier Cup, where his Dinos were edged 31-26 by Laval in a compelling game. The Laval team included Felix FaubertLussier, who’s making a serious bid for a starting receiver’s job with the Ticats.
Ciraco spent the first half of that 2016 season injured and the second half, including the Vanier Cup, as a centre. Last year he played centre, guard and some tackle.
He’s been nationally tracked for several years. Joining the Burlington Stampeders organization in Grade 6, he became a Football Canada Cup all-star in 2013, played for Canada’s U-18 team in Texas the following year, and later for the U-19s at the world championships in Kuwait.
Although courted by a number of top Ontario universities, he chose Calgary, partly because current Ticat teammate and former Burlington Stampeder and Assumption player Mercer
Timmis was there, and so was future CFL receiver Brett Blaszko, another Stampeder grad.
“There’s some great football in Ontario, but it was just a feel thing,” Ciraco says. “I love the city, I loved going out west, and having Mercer and Brett there made the transition comfortable. I definitely don’t regret it. It was the best decision I’ve made.”
He didn’t pattern his style after any particular pro he watched growing up, but was always fascinated by the offensive line work when he attended CFL games.
Ciraco did, however, closely
monitor older fellow lineman Sean McEwen, now with the Argos. “I played with him for the Dinos and saw how he approached it,” Ciraco says. “I kind of tried to put that into my own game. He’s someone I tried to look up to as I’ve gone through this, and he’s doing pretty well for himself now.”
Ciraco joins a deep young core of future Ticats offensive linemen. Given his draft position and versatility, he’s going to be given a long look and should find himself here all season in some capacity.
“I’m just going to compete,” he says.
“I don’t see myself slated anywhere yet. I just want to come and try to work my way up and, hopefully, make the roster.” NOTES: Monday afternoon,
Johnny Manziel used the virtual reality head set provided to Ticat quarterbacks and was impressed. He says the experience is like having extra practice reps, and will be a big part of football’s future.