MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – It wouldn’t be a normal draft day in the CFL unless Alouettes general manager Jim Popp decided to turn some heads.
So when league commissioner Mark Cohon announced on national television that the Als had opted to select kicker Brody McKnight with the eighth overall pick, it didn’t come as much of a surprise to many across the CFL community.
In fact, it wasn’t much of a surprise to McKnight himself.
“Anything can happen on draft day, so you have to be ready for anything,” said the Alouettes’ 2011 first-round pick.
|
|
|
Brody McKnight |
The University of Montana product, McKnight (6’1″, 190 lbs), made 14 of his 18 field goal attempts in 2010, including his longest from 53 yards out. McKnight also handled kick-off and punting duties for the Grizzlies, averaging 63.9 and 38.5 yards respectively.
“Not only does he have an extremely strong leg, but his coaches have told me that he can also play another position, which is saying a lot since he plays on such a good team. He still has one year left in school, but we couldn’t pass on him,” stated Popp.
“Prior to the draft, we had prepared a list ranking 52 players in the order that we would have liked to select them. Following the draft, all seven of our picks ended up coming from our top 22 prospects. I’m extremely pleased with our picks and feel as though we’ve strengthened ourselves for the future,” he added.
A native of Vancouver, BC, McKnight is very familiar with the CFL.
“It’s something that I grew up with. I lived about 10 minutes away from BC Place and grew up admiring Lions quarterback Dave Dickenson, who also went to Montana U,” said McKnight via a phone interview Monday afternoon.
Though the newest Alouette grew up in western Canada, he was willing to admit that on draft day, Montreal was at the top of his list.
“I was ecstatic when I found out because Montreal was at the top of my list. I’ve been to Quebec a few times in my life and I loved it. I actually took French immersion classes in elementary school, so I’m able to speak a little bit of French,” said McKnight.
“They also win football games, which is obviously important. The last time I checked, winning back-to-back Grey Cups isn’t something that happens every day,” he added.
Though McKnight still has one year left of college eligibility, expect to see him in Alouettes colours in the near future.
McKnight also becomes the third kicker since 1998 to be selected in the first round of the draft.
