BCLions.com Staff
The BC Lions Football Club was busy at the CFL Draft table today, picking up seven future Leos. The club used the sixth overall selection to secure offensive lineman Hunter Steward from Liberty University, but will have to wait until 2014 to see him in orange as the Kingston native still has a year of eligibility remaining.
“Hunter has a lot of upside,” said Lions VP of football operations and GM Wally Buono. “I know Mike will want to see him as an offensive tackle first and we’ll go from there but he’s got a lot of promise.”
With their second selection (12th overall), the Lions obtained wideout Seydou Junior (SJ) Haidara from Laval University. The speedy receiver was ranked highly by the club’s staff following a season where he notched 23 receptions for 394 yards and three touchdowns.
“S.J. can play multiple positions and he’s a demon on special teams,” said head coach Mike Benevides. “Size, speed and a desire to play are things you cannot coach and he brings all of them to the table.”
The Lions then dipped back into the redshirt pool to choose linebacker Boseko Lokombo who hails from Abbotsford, BC and is currently enrolled at the University of Oregon. The athletic Lokombo was too good to pass up according to Benevides despite possible NFL aspirations. “Bo is a gifted athlete that doesn’t come along very often, so we’re pleased to get him in the third round.”
With the club’s fourth selection (33rd overall), they again stayed local with University of Windsor defensive back Matt McGarva who grew up in Surrey. McGarva comes off a four-year career at Windsor and will likely compete for a back-up position at safety.
The Leos took another offensive lineman with their fifth pick (42nd overall), acquiring Matthew Albright from St. Mary’s. The hulking tackle was a 2012 Atlantic University Sport All-Star and his conference’s Student-Athlete Community Service Award recipient. He anchored a Husky offensive line that averaged a league-best 201.4 yards per game and gave up just 10 quarterback sacks over eight games.
Another local product, UBC’s Matt Walker, was the Lions’ sixth-round selection (50th overall) and comes off an impressive showing at the club’s local camp in April. The athletic defensive back will attend his first Lions training camp at the tender age of 21 and will still have three years of eligibility left with the Thunderbirds.
With their final pick in the 2013 CFL Draft, the club added yet another body to the offensive line by scooping up Guelph’s Cameron Thorn. The Ontario native will be a project for offensive line coach Dan Dorazio as he switches from his current position along the defensive line. Thorn was also coveted for his ability as a long-snapper.