Alouettes lose picks Blake, Mcknight to NFL
Broncos pick up centre in draft, kicker signs free-agent deal with Jets
He didn’t begin playing organized football until his final year at a Toronto high school. And now, after being selected by the Denver Broncos on the final day of the NFL draft, centre Philip Blake could be snapping the ball to Peyton Manning this season.
That means Blake won’t be snapping it to Anthony Calvillo, after the Alouettes selected him in the third round (23rd overall) of the 2011 Canadian college draft.
“I was nervous before the draft, because nobody talked to me,” Blake told The Gazette on Sunday from his Waco, Tex., home. “When my name was called, I was relieved.
“It hasn’t hit me that I’ll be playing in the NFL, with the Denver Broncos,” added Blake, selected in the fourth round (108th overall) – a pick the Broncos received from the New York Jets following their recent trade of QB Tim Tebow.
Blake was one of three Canadians selected in the threeday NFL draft, bringing the total to 21 since 1983.
Tyrone Crawford, a defensive-tackle from Windsor, Ont., went in the third round (81st) to Dallas, while Ottawa’s Christo Bilukidi, a defensive-tackle represented by Montreal’s Darren Gill, went to Oakland in the sixth round (189th overall).
Montana kicker Brody Mcknight, the Als’ firstround (eighth overall) pick last year, wasn’t drafted but signed as a free agent with the Jets on Saturday night.
As for Blake, should things turn out as expected with the Broncos, the only Quebec football he might be known for will be the two years’ CEGEP he played at Lennoxville’s Champlain College following high school.
Blake failed to receive a call from any U.S. colleges until his graduation, in 2005, but his grades were inadequate. It was his high school coach who recommended Champlain, so Blake could improve his academic standing while continuing to play.
At Champlain, he was offered a scholarship to the University of Houston, but again he failed to qualify academically. Blake went to Tyler Junior College in Texas for a year, then transferred to Baylor, where he was reunited with head coach Art Briles. It was Briles who had offered the Houston scholarship.
“When I got to Baylor it was a relief to go to the next level,” Blake said. “But I wasn’t content. I wanted to play in the NFL.”
Blake was a three-year starter. Last season, he was part of the nation’s secondranked offensive line, which formed a wall in front of quarterback Robert Griffin III, the Heisman Trophy winner who went second overall to the Washington Redskins. Blake also was a first-team All Big 12 centre as a senior. He returned for his final year – after graduating with a degree in sociology– to continue his pursuit of NFL employment, not willing to settle for a CFL career.
The versatile Blake, 6-foot-3 and 311 pounds, can also play guard, which might prove beneficial. Chris Kuper, Denver’s right guard, is recovering from a broken leg.
“To play for Montreal wouldn’t bug me at all,” said Blake, 26. “But I believe I can play in the NFL. This means a lot to be drafted. It was an accomplishment I made through a lot of hard work and persistence. I never gave up.
“I haven’t thought about playing with Manning,” he added. “It hasn’t sunk in. But to go from Robert Griffin III to Manning is exciting.”
Mcknight, meanwhile, told The Gazette last week he didn’t expect to be drafted. Instead, he would give himself no more than 10 days to sign as a free agent. He didn’t even last 10 hours on the open market.
“I received several calls, but I decided I was going to play for the New York Jets,” McKnight said from Missoula, Mont., home. “I felt like it was the best opportunity for a job ... the best opportunity to compete for a position.”
While it appeared the Jets’ deal was prearranged, Gil Scott, Mcknight’s agent, denied this. “Typically, it happens (quickly) like that,” Scott said.
Scott, based in Toronto, knows Mike Westhoff, the Jets’ special-teams coordinator, and placed a call to him following the draft, although the agent said he also was dealing with other teams.
“I knew who to call,” Scott said. “Other teams were interested, but the Jets were the first to say jump, so we jumped. If he kicks well, it’s a good opportunity.”
Mcknight, being brought in as a placekicker, will attend a rookie mini-camp next weekend. The Jets’ incumbent, Nick Folk, connected on 19 of 25 field goals last season, including a longest of 51 yards. Folk, 27, is entering his sixth season.
Als’ general manager Jim Popp failed to return a message on Sunday. Of Montreal’s seven 2011 draft picks, three are expected at training camp this June – offensivelinemen Anthony Barrette and Reed Alexander, along with defensive-back Blaine Ruttan.
Defensive-tackle Renaldo Sagesses was released at camp last year. Note: Akiem Hicks, an American-born defensive-lineman who played at the University of Regina, went 89th overall, to New Orleans.