Right now is the time of year all fans of football, whether university level or professional, are excited about.
For those of you who are strictly fans of professional football this is the part of the offseason you are probably most excited about; because your hope is that your team gets stronger through the draft.
There is also the mystery of seeing how these prospects pan out for those respective teams.
For those who are fans of university football it’s the time of year you see your favourite players move up to a higher level of football.
This year, Wilfrid Laurier University was represented through three players who had the honour of being drafted to the CFL.
Defensive end Kwaku Boateng from Milton, Ont. linebacker Nakas Onyeka from Brampton, Ont. and offensive lineman Brett Golding, hailing from Dunnville, Ont. all got drafted on May 7.
“The entire Laurier football community is excited for Nakas, Kwaku and Brett,” head coach, Michael Faulds said.
Brett Golding went in round seven (58 overall) to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Not having been projected as a top prospect at any point or even being slated to get drafted in any of the mock drafts, Golding is proof that nobody knows what will happen until draft day.
He will now go in to try and make the roster.
From there, he will hopefully work his way to becoming another impact player hailing from Laurier in the CFL.
Nakas Onyeka ended up going in round five (36 overall) to the Toronto Argonauts.
The linebacker had his finest season in his last year as he was named a first team all-Canadian. Additionally, Onyeka was named OUA defensive player of the year.
When asked where he was at mentally given the current circumstance, Onyeka said, “I feel like I don’t want to get too high … it’s good that I accomplished one of my goals but it’s just a step in the process, right?”
As for being drafted to the Argos, Onyeka expressed excitement at the fact that he gets to play for his hometown team.
“I was born in Toronto, lived there for 8 years before I moved to Brampton, so being able to play for my hometown, it’s amazing.”
As for his goals, Onyeka said he first wants to “crack the roster,” adding that he “feel[s] like [he] will be able to push to compete.”
Kwaku Boateng was drafted in round five as well (41 overall), but to the Edmonton Eskimos.
In regards to falling to round number five, Boateng hinted that a recent NFL invitation to the Chicago Bears’ mini-camp may have hurt him.
“It could be an array of things,” Boateng said.
“At the end of the day, I’ve always been a fan of saying that it doesn’t matter when I go, as opposed to where I go, and I think Edmonton’s a good fit.”
When asked how he felt about going into rookie mini-camp with the Chicago Bears, Boateng said, “I think it’s intimidating. Having to play out of my position, playing linebacker at the highest level of football possible, having to do that and make that jump at the same time … I think it’s going to be tough.”
Boateng was ranked number 12 in the final scouting bureau rankings.
He is Laurier’s all-time sack leader and is also a two-time all-Canadian.
When asked what his goals were going in as a rookie he said, “I think definitely, my goal is to make an impact on special teams. I feel like I will be able to make an impact on all the coverages and that’s where I want to make my mark and then eventually I want to fight for at least a rotational player on defense.”
“I feel confident just based on the fact that I am here,” Boateng added.
“There’s obviously a reason why I’m in this situation so I just have to take it one day at a time.”
