While most of the attention from Canadian NFL fans this weekend was centered on Chase Claypool and Neville Gallimore, a number of other players were waiting in the wings to see if they would get their NFL chance. Several of them did.
Four Canadians have signed with NFL teams so far as undrafted free agents, bringing the total number of Canadians to land with an NFL team to six. Undrafted free agents (UDFA) have to fight to prove they deserve a spot on an NFL roster, but every year a number of them do make the final cut. It's a precious opportunity for players to prove they have what it takes to compete at the highest level of professional football.
Here's a look at each of the four Canadian UDFA's who have signed with teams so far:
Carter O'Donnell, OL, University of Alberta: Indianapolis Colts
A native of Red Deer, Alta., O'Donnell spent the last four years playing U Sports for the University of Alberta. He entered the school as a multi-sport athlete, excelling as both a baseball pitcher and a wrestler alongside football. Now, he'll try to follow in the footsteps of Laurent Duvernay-Tardif — the last OL from a Canadian university to play in the NFL. Duvernay-Tardif, a reigning Super Bowl champion, spent four years playing for McGill University before being selected by the Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2014 draft.
The 6-6, 315-pound O'Donnell has the size and athleticism as an offensive tackle to stick on an NFL roster, whether that's in Indianapolis or elsewhere. The No. 3 overall prospect in the CFL central scouting bureau's draft rankings, he was a first-team All-Canadian this year and took part in the East-West Shrine Bowl in Florida. He helped Alberta's offense average 399 yards per game and 5.2 yards per rush this season.
Rysen John, WR, Simon Fraser University: New York Giants
John is a sizeable receiver that will cause matchup problems for defensive backs every time he steps on the field. Standing at 6-7, the Vancouver native began getting looks from NFL scouts after a stellar final season at SFU in which he caught 53 passes for 861 yards and 10 touchdowns.
"Rysen has the size, he has the measurements," Simon Fraser interim head coach Mike Rigell said. "He has not even come close to scratching the ceiling on how good he can be when he gets to the right program with the right coaches."
He'll be trying to impress former Patriots receivers coach Joe Judge in his first year with the Giants.
Marc-Antoine Dequoy, DB, University of Montreal: Green Bay Packers
At 25 years old, Dequoy is pretty old for an NFL rookie, but he has the physical skillset to make an impact in the league. Hailing from Île-Bizard, Que., Dequoy posted an impressive 4.35-second 40-yard dash time and a 6.65-second time in the three-cone drill. Only one defensive back at the NFL Combine ran a faster 40-yard-dash than that (Utah's Javelin Guidry with a 4.29). To make it even more impressive, he did it at his pro day while suffering from the flu.
He played as everything from a nickel safety to a free safety during his college years, so he has the versatility to go along with his athleticism. However, considering he went four years without playing a snap in his early university days, plus the fact that he's been playing three-down, 12-player Canadian football for most of his life, he's still a very raw prospect.
Michael Hoecht, DT, Brown University: Los Angeles Rams
Born in Oakville, Ont., Hoecht moved to Ohio before choosing to attend Brown University. He went on to captain the team in both of his final two years, playing 37 games in his four-year college career. He posted an absolutely blazing 40-yard-dash time of 4.65 seconds during his virtual pro day, leading the Rams to take a punt on him as an UDFA prospect.
Ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect in the CFL's final draft rankings, Hoecht is a disruptive defensive tackle that made a career-high 69 tackles in 2018 and was named to the second-team All-Ivy League team this past season. He'll now get the chance to fight for a spot alongside Aaron Donald and Co. on the Rams' defensive front.