Lions trade up to select linebacker Williams
TORONTO — The B.C. Lions ensured Jordan Williams began his Canadian Football League tenure with a bang.
The Lions opened the CFL draft Thursday night by moving up from No. 3 to first overall in a trade with the Calgary Stampeders. Then B.C. made Williams the first player taken.
“I’m absolutely surprised,” the linebacker said during a conference call. “I thought the CFL is one through nine and that’s what you get.
“I didn’t think they’d pick me, I thought they’d get a defensive end or something. For them to take me, man, it’s surreal. I can’t even quantify how it feels.”
The five-foot-11, 219-pound Williams hasn’t played football since 2017, when he finished second in tackles at East Carolina with 89 — including three for a loss — with a forced fumble. The 27-year-old is an American by birth but was deemed a national for the draft because his mother is Canadian.
“I think, once I know the rust’s off, I’ll be locked and loaded and ready to go,” Williams said.
Last year, the Ottawa Redblacks offered Williams a practice-roster spot after he attended one of the club’s free-agent camps. But, upon learning of his mother’s nationality, the club recommended Williams investigate taking that path into the league.
Williams shined at last month’s Ontario combine, the CFL’s final due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. He recorded a 40-yard-dash time of 4.48 seconds, 20 reps in the 225pound bench press, a 39-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 10 feet, 8.5 inches.
B.C. (5-13) finished last in the West Division last season. Head coach DeVone Claybrooks was fired and replaced by Rick Campbell after he stepped down from that post with the Ottawa Redblacks.
The Toronto Argonauts then took Virginia receiver Dejon Brissett, the older brother of Toronto Raptors guard/forward Oshae Brissett second overall. And the elder Brissett, a native of Mississauga, gets to begin his pro career very close to home.
“It’s surreal being home for the first time in a long time,” he said. “I can’t explain how excited I am.”
The six-foot-one, 195-pound Brissett appeared in 12 games last season with Virginia after transferring from Richmond, recording two receptions for 18 yards. Brissett appeared in 33 games at Richmond, recording 86 catches for 1,282 yards and nine TDs.
Brissett is looking forward to joining a Toronto team coming off consecutive 4-14 campaigns after winning the 2017 Grey Cup.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “We’re going to make it happen, for sure.”
At No. 3, Calgary took Southeastern Louisiana defensive end Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of Dartmouth, N.S. And, while the six-foot-two, 243-pound Adeyemi-Berglund now knows where he’ll begin his pro career, he still doesn’t know exactly when due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s always crazy when you talk about this COVID-19 thing but it’s the same for every athlete,” he said. “But it’s crazy because we just got drafted, it’s probably the biggest night of our lives according to football so it’s definitely strange.”
Adeyemi-Berglund registered 28 tackles for a loss and 15 sacks during his collegiate career.
The Edmonton Eskimos selected Buffalo offensive lineman Tomas Jack-Kurdyla at No. 4. The six-foot-four, 300pound Montreal native was a four-year starter for a Bulls team that last year set school records for most rushing yards (3,256, 296 per game) and fewest sacks (eight).
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats used the first of their two opening-round selections on Guelph offensive lineman Coulter Woodmansey at No. 5. The sixfoot-five, 325-pound Toronto native plays with an edge, a solid attribute for a franchise coming off a club-record 15 regularseason wins last year.
The Ottawa Redblacks (league-worst 3-15 record) followed by taking versatile Adam Auclair of Laval. The six-foottwo, 205-pound Auclair, whose brother Antony is a tight end with the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, can play linebacker or in the secondary and contribute on special teams.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders didn’t look far with the seventh overall pick, taking Saskatchewan Huskies offensive lineman Mattland Riley. The six-foot-three, 285-pound native of Melfort, Sask., was a 2018 second-team All-Canadian.
Hamilton followed up by selecting North Dakota defensive end Mason Bennett. The sixfoot-four, 235-pound Winnipeg native appeared in 43 career collegiate games, recording 128 tackles with 20 sacks.
Toronto completed the first round with its second selection, Regina offensive lineman Theren Churchill at No. 9. The sixfoot-six, 295-pounder is a native of Stettler, Alta.