Andreane Viau
CFL.ca Staff
MONTREAL — After much anticipation, McGill offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif showcased his skills in front of scouts from both sides of the border on Thursday.
The projected first overall pick in the 2014 CFL Draft held his pro day workout in Montreal, and seemingly impressed all those in attendance.
The St. Hillaire, QC. native has all but secured himself as being the number one pick in May’s Draft, but could see himself drop a few spots, and even some rounds, should he be selected in the NFL Draft a week earlier.
Despite the interest from south of the border, CFL scouts continued to keep a close eye on him.
“He’s one of the top picks in this draft, for sure,” said Alouettes’ assistant director of player personnel Joey Abrams to The Canadian Press.
“It’s difficult to find a kid like this, with his skill set and abilities. He’s a rare specimen. This is unprecedented. I’ve never seen this before. He met expectations. Everyone knew he was big and strong, and he showed that today,” he added.
According to Duvernay-Tardif’s Twitter account, the bruising 298-pounder registered 34 reps on the bench press, ran a 5.08 40-yard dash (though some scouts clocked him in at under five seconds), tallied a time of 4.59 seconds in the shuttle, and a time of 7.3 seconds in the three-cone drill.
He also jumped 32.00″ in the vertical, and 9’6″ in the broad jump.
Suffice to say, the 2013 J.P. Metras winner lived up to the hype on Thursday.
“I’ve been training for so long for these tests,” said the medical student to CP. “It was time to show what I could do. I knew what I was going to hit. I hit those numbers, and even better.”
Members of the Montreal Alouettes, Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts, and Ottawa REDBLACKS were in attendance to watch Duvernay-Tardif work out.
Representatives from the New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, and Arizona Cardinals also made the trip to see the prospect go to work.
“I would love to play in the CFL,” he said. “I played against a lot of people that now play in the CFL. It would be great to play in that league. I’m going to play and do my best wherever I end up.”
With files from The Canadian Press
