Yan Doublet
CFL.ca Staff
#CFLDraft
OTTAWA — After a blockbuster trade that saw Calgary acquire the 1st overall pick in the Draft from Ottawa, Pierre Lavertu is officially a Calgary Stampeder.
Jon Gott was the return piece in the deal, and is now a member of the REDBLACKS.
The Stampeders also selected defensive lineman Quinn Smith out of Concordia with the seventh overall pick.
Lavertu product sat behind McGill’s Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (1) and Montreal’s David Foucault (2) on the CFL Scouting Bureau released in April.
During his four year career with the Rouge et Or, Lavertu was named a RSEQ Football All-Star all four years, named a CIS Football First Team All-Canadian three times and played in the 2013 CIS East-West Bowl Game.
The 6-3, 300 lbs lineman anchored the offensive line and helped Laval win the Vanier Cup three times during his collegiate career, including last year where Laval won it at home in front of their home crowd at Telus Stadium.
Last season, the Quebec, QC native helped clear the path for Laval’s running game as they average 6.3 rushing yards per carry, good enough for 5th in the entire CIS.
Lavertu becomes the third Laval player to be drafted first overall in the CFL Draft since 1970 (DE Miguel Robede 2005 and OL Alexandre Gauthier 2002).
Lavertu was the projected first overall pick in CFL.ca’s Mock Draft and his stock climbed even higher after Duvernay-Tardif was drafted by the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.
Smith, who tested positive for a banned substance at the CFL Combine, was selected with Calgaryès second pick in the first round following the Lavertu selection.
“Smith’s positive banned substance test caused some red flags to pop up about him around the league, but teams don’t feel it will be a recurring issue,” said CIS Insider Justin Dunk.
“Smith played both offensive and defensive line at Concordia and some teams feel he might be better as a blocker,” he added.
The six-foot-two, 305-pound Scarborough, ON. native impressed scouts at the March Combine, registering strong numbers in both on and off-field testing.
At the Saturday of Combine, Smith tallied 28 reps on the bench press, jumped 27.50″ in the vertical jump, and finished day one by leaping 8’3.00″ in the broad jump.
One day later, he ran a 4.808 40-yard dash, a 7.56 in the 3-cone drill, and a 4.62 in the shuttle. Smith also turned heads in the one-on-one drills, catching the attention of scouts across the league.
His strong performance throughout the weekend saw him soar up the CFL Scouting Bureau Rankings, coming in at #4 in the final pre-draft list. Prior to then, he had not been ranked among the top 15 prospects.
More to come…
